


Fast Bullet

by HeleSL



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 20:05:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16980954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeleSL/pseuds/HeleSL
Summary: AU. Emma moves out of her friend's loft and lands in a nice apartment with a mysterious woman she doesn't know anything about: Regina, secretly a contract killer. Everything goes alright until Emma gets involved in something bigger than she expected and Regina is ordered to kill her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! A few things you have to know before we start:
> 
> -English is not my first language. I'm actually Spanish so if there is any mistake, which is highly probable, I'm sorry for that.
> 
> -This is a slightly slow burn, or at least I'll try.
> 
> -Reviews are very appreciated and in fact they can encourage me to keep going, so thank you if you leave one I'll love you forever.
> 
> -I will try to update regularly but I can't promise because of uni.
> 
> -Hope you enjoy this!

 

"Are you sure you don't want to think it over?" Mary Margaret repeated for the fifth time in 15 minutes. She was hovering over Emma's shoulder, watching how her soon-to-be ex-roommate was finishing her luggage.

Emma sat on the suitcase and zipped it close, blowing a strand of hair off her face. "I'm sure," Emma repeated as well with a patient smile. She stood up and met her friend, whose forehead was still clouded with concern. "Don't worry, Mary Margaret. I'll still come by often. I mean - I'm not going to give up on those hot cocoas any soon."

The joke and the promise seemed to cheer up Mary Margaret a little as a small smile made its way to her face. "I'll still miss you."

Emma reached for her friend's hands. She wasn't a touchy person, but she knew Mary Margaret was and she needed support, so she made an effort. "And I'll miss you, but I assure you, you will be thankful I'm gone when you don't wake up in the middle of every Saturday night because I forgot my keys."

Mary Margaret laughed softly, drowning the tears that threatened to fall in the back of her eyes. "You got me there."

Emma nodded and then she looked down at the multiple suitcases and boxes waiting for her on the floor to be picked up. "Will you help me take them downstairs?"

"Of course," her friend waved her hand before rushing down to get the smallest box she could find and heading downstairs.

Emma smiled at that and shook her head, leaning down to pick up her own box. She followed May Margaret, carrying the box that prayed  _fragile_  on one side, written with a red pen in her messy handwriting. Her friend seemed to have given up helping Emma and was now in the kitchen making something that smelled like a hot cocoa.

"I know," she said, raising her hand before Emma could even open her mouth. She didn't look away from the mugs and Emma felt it was because her eyes were teary. "I will help you after I finish this hot cocoa. I want to enjoy one with you one last time as roommates."

They were in the middle of summer and eggs could be fried on the streets outside, but Emma decided not to comment on that and left the box besides the door. She took a seat on the stool, in front of Mary Margaret, and watched her pour the hot milk inside both mugs. "So, have you met your new roommate yet?" she asked with a tight voice around the mention of the roommate.

"I haven't, actually," Emma said, ignoring her friend's tone on purpose. "But I guess I will today."

"Isn't it weird that she just let you inside her house without even taking her time to meet you?" Mary Margaret finally raised her gaze as she offered the mug to Emma, who took it with a thankful smile.

"I answered the questionnaire she sent me," she reminded her.

Mary Margaret shrugged, not convinced at all about it. "That's not the same. By all she could know, you could've lied."

"But I didn't," Emma pointed out. Mary Margaret glared at her and she sighed, "Hey, just because I'm moving out with someone else doesn't mean I'm replacing you."

"I know, I know, but you could still stay with someone you actually know instead of living with someone you don't even know. Coexistence could be a disaster!"

Emma tried not to smile at how her small friend looking all upset was like an angry teddy bear. "I'm moving out because A. I'm kind of becoming the third part in your relationship with David. He's here almost more than I am and it's only fair to give you some space as well as gaining my own."

"He doesn't mind you here and neither do I," Mary Margaret commented behind her mug, but Emma continued like if she hadn't interrupted her.

"And B. I'm trying to fly away from the nest. You've been letting me live here since we met and I haven't even paid you the real cost of my part of the rent." Mary Margaret opened her mouth, most probably to assure there was no problem, but Emma didn't let her talk. "So with that money and my new job, I can afford a new place to start having real responsibilities. You are like the big sister I never had and it's time for me to move out."

She watched the tears starting to cloud Mary Margaret's vision as she nodded, finishing her mug so the lump on her throat didn't betray her. Emma slid down her stool and opened her arms as she rounded the kitchen counter. Mary Margaret left the mug in the marble surface and dove into Emma's arms.

"Besides, you don't have to worry," she added after a moment. "Mulan recommended me the offer because she knows the owner."

"She only knows her from a friend of a friend," Mary Margaret pointed out and Emma glared at her, looking down. "Okay, okay. I guess if it's what you want…"

"I do," Emma affirmed again and her friend sighed, smiling.

"Then it will be alright. But I still expect weekly visits, okay?"

Emma laughed and nodded, "I promise."

They separated and Emma reached for her cocoa, drinking the rest of it and hummed in satisfaction because she knew her friend would love it. There was a knock on the door and, while Emma picked up the mugs, Mary Margaret walked over to receive the guest. David's charming smile appeared on the other side of the door and Mary Margaret stepped aside to let him in. He leaned down to press a kiss on her cheek as he walked in and then glanced around. "Hey Emma, is everything ready?"

"Yeah," she said, leaving the now clean mug down to dry. "I just have to bring down a few more boxes and that's it."

"Okay. Let me help you," he offered already following Emma upstairs, followed by Mary Margaret small steps.

Between the three of them it only took a few minutes to have it all downstairs, from where they took it all to the street and into David's van. Since Emma didn't own too many things, it was easy to load it all and still have space for all three of them to get into the car.

"Where to?" David asked once he was on the wheel, looking through the rear-view mirror. Emma fished in the back pocket of her jeans and found the crumpled paper where she had written the address. She told David and he made a turn in the next block. "Are you excited about the new place?" he asked kindly, glancing at her quickly before looking back at the road.

"I'm a little scared," she admitted. "But the good kind. I look forward to start this new chapter of my life. And thank you again for helping me with the boxes."

"Please," he waved it off. "I couldn't let you hire a truck for the few things you have when I have this monster."

Mary Margaret smiled between them and leaned into David for a second before turning to Emma. "When do you think we'll be able to pay you a visit?"

"Uh…" Emma glanced through the window and watched a dog walker struggling with two big german shepherds. "I don't know. I mean I still have to meet my roommate and, you know, see if it's okay."

David stopped his car and all three of them pulled free of their seatbelts. "Do you know anything about her?" he asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, I just know she's…." her voice trailed off as she stepped into the pavement and raised her gaze. In front on her a modern building was waiting for her to go inside and she couldn't finish her sentence. She knew for the pictures the apartment wasn't like the old loft she shared with Mary Margaret, but she definitely didn't expect that.

"Rich?" David finished for her when he joined her, carrying two boxes.

"Well, I don't think so," Mary Margaret chimed in with another box. "If so she wouldn't need a roommate."

They made their way into the building and saw a man sitting in a booth not far away from the door. "Good evening. May I help you?"

Emma glanced at her friends, who nodded and encouraged her, so she turned and stepped closer to the doorman. "I'm Emma Swan."

Realization hit him and he smiled. "Emma Swan, yes. Welcome." He reached down and when he came back up, he handed her a key. "It's the 108, 9th floor. The elevators are down the hallway, turning right. I'm sure you'll find it quickly."

Emma followed his directions with her eyes and nodded. Then readjusted the boxes in her hands and the doorman leaned forward. "You can leave all your belongings here. I will take them upstairs later."

"Oh, it's okay," she assured, but he shook his head.

"I insist." His gaze fell upon Mary Margaret and David, nodding at the boxes in their hands with a smile. They left them next to his booth and turned to Emma.

"Thank you for driving me here. I'll let you know as soon as I settle in," she said to them, still clutching the box in her hands. The reality of everything started to catch up on her and she suddenly felt like standing on a thin line, threatening to fall in any second.

Mary Margaret could tell how she felt, and although she wanted to hug her goodbye, she placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing how Emma was. David did the same and they both smiled at her. "The next chapter of your life," Mary Margaret said. "It will be alright and if you ever need anything, you know you're welcome at the loft."

Emma nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't like getting too emotional and, for fuck's sake, she was just moving out into an apartment a few stops away on the subway. So before it turned into a full goodbye with hugs and tears, she turned and waved at them, trying to find the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the number 9 and took a deep breath.

In her runaway she had kept the box in her hands, so when she reached the door of the 108, she stood outside staring at the numbers shining under the lights. She glanced down at the keys dangling in her fingers, wondering which one of the two hanging from a poor keychain would open the door. She managed to hold the box in one hand while she tried one of the keys with the other, but it didn't give in. She grabbed the other with a little trouble and tried that one but it didn't even fit, so she frowned. She tried the first one again, and she tried to turn it as much as she could with one hand. She even tried to push the door with the other hand but it wouldn't open.

Emma was trying that tactic when the door suddenly opened by itself, leaving her dumbfounded. A woman watched her from the other side of the door, an eyebrow raised. She was slightly taller than Emma, but she soon realized it was because of the high heels she was wearing. Her short, dark hair framed one of the most beautiful faces Emma had ever seen. Her features were soft yet seemed hardened for some reason, and the crimson lipstick she was wearing almost made Emma dizzy.

"Uh, hi," Emma said with a weak smile.

"Hello," she just said. They stood in silence for a moment, while Emma still captured the presence in front of her.

It was when the other woman glanced down at the box, when Emma snapped out of it, holding out her free hand. "I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

"Oh," she just said. Her features relaxed and her lips curled up as she shook Emma's hand firmly enough for Emma to notice the strength. "Come in. The door is a little tricky, you have to get the key in and then pull up. I'll teach you later."

She waved a hand as Emma walked in and closed the door behind them. Emma stood in the middle of the living room and glanced around, taking in the place. It looked nice, but it was like if no one lived there. There were no pictures and no personal belongings that she could spot. Suddenly she realised she didn't even know the other woman's name and turned to ask. When she did so, she noticed her future roommate was shamelessly checking her out.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," she said after clearing her throat, feeling her cheeks blushing.

"Of course," she rolled her eyes at herself and raised her hands. "I'm Regina Mills. Nice to meet you."

"Regina," Emma repeated with a nod, as a way to seal the name to her mind.

An amused smile appeared in Regina's face, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she took a step forward. "Can I help you with that? I thought Sidney would take care of your belongings."

Emma seemed to realise in that moment she was still holding the box and looked down. "Right. I almost forgot I had it," she laughed nervously and glanced around. "I can put it down if you tell me where."

Regina watched her for a moment before nodding and walking away. "I'll show you your room, and then the rest of the apartment."

"Cool," Emma commented as she followed her.

The main space of the apartment was divided into the living room and dining room. Where she had stood she had glimpsed the kitchen on the far side of the dining room, behind a counter that separated both spaces. She followed Regina into a hallway behind the living room. She turned right and Emma saw that the hallway could be accessible by two sides. When Regina opened the door on the right side, she let Emma in to see her new bedroom.

It was bigger than the one she occupied in Mary Margaret's loft and a big bed was the first thing Emma noticed in the middle of the room. To her left there was a cabinet and a closet, which she calculated that would be more than enough for her clothes. Even too much. To her right, a TV hung on the wall, facing the bed; and in front of her, a big window that almost swallowed the wall.

"Wow," she sighed, watching the views. She walked in, leaving the box on the bed without looking away from the window. She could see the city from there and a little of the park that was a few blocks away.

After a moment watching outside, Emma turned and met Regina's smile. She was leaning on the door, her arms crossed over her white shirt. "Those are good views."

"Yeah," Emma agreed, resisting the urge to whistle at it.

Regina raised her hand and pointed outside, "Shall we see the rest of the place?" Emma nodded and once again followed her. Regina opened another door, in the middle of the hallway, and turned the lights on. "This is the bathroom. It's the only one, and then there's a toilet outside, next to the kitchen. That is my room."

She pointed to the door that was in front of Emma's room, a few feet away. The door was closed and Regina didn't make a move to open it, so Emma guessed she wouldn't see it. Instead, Regina took her to the kitchen, showing her the basics and then crossed the dining room and living room, heading towards the terrace. Emma thought the views from her room were amazing but now watching them from the terrace, feeling the late sun in her skin, was something else. There was a small table that made Emma think of those French movies when they had breakfast in a table like that.

"Now that is summer I guess you can put this terrace up for a good use as well," Regina said, raising her eyes towards the sun and narrowing them, using her hand as a cap. She then turned back inside and pointed at a door on their left, close to the large TV of the living room. "And over there it's the study. I remember you just started a new job, didn't you?"

"Yep," Emma smiled and Regina couldn't help but to smile back.

"Then if you ever need to work on something or just to read a book, the study is the best place for that. It's soundproof so you can't hear the street sounds and concentrate."

Emma wondered who the hell would have a room soundproof, but then she remembered all those nights she was kept awake because of the traffic. So she just nodded, trying to hide her amazement and, by the way Regina's smile didn't seem to drop, she wasn't being really successful.

"That is all, then," she said. She glanced at her watch and her eyebrows shot up. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have to run some errands."

Emma turned and suddenly realized that Regina was dressed like if she had just been caught when she was about to leave. Her unpolluted white shirt, rolled up to her elbows, her black tailored pants and high heels made her look like if she was about to go to win over some company with the flick of her finger.

"Oh, okay," she managed to say.

Regina reached for her purse, which had been on the couch all this time and searched for something inside. "It's a work emergency, but I thought I could buy some food on my way back and perhaps we could have dinner together? To get to know each other."

She pulled out her sunglasses and placed on her head as she watched Emma expectantly.

"Yeah. That sounds just fine," she said.

Regina smiled at the confirmation and started to head out. "Do you like chinese food?" Emma nodded. "Good," she said, half of her body already outside the apartment. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Bye, Emma."

Emma raised her hand to wave goodbye, but the door was already closing and she was left there with her hand still up in the air.

* * *

Since she was alone, Emma decided to walk around the apartment, trying to get used to it. She sat on the couch and found it was a little uncomfortable, which made sense since it looked like it cost more than what Emma had in her accounts. She then tried the remote and played with it until she learned how to use it.

The kitchen was next, as she touched everything Regina had showed her. The coffee maker, the mixer, the vitroceramic, microwave and the rest of machines she could find. She even made herself a cup of tea she found in one of the cupboards. Mug in hand, she visited the toilet. It was small, with all a guest could need, so she quickly moved onto another thing and headed towards the bathroom.

She walked past Regina's room and stopped, considering taking a peek at it. It was tempting and Regina didn't have to know; she would only just open the door and look inside. But then she shook her head. She didn't want to start with the wrong foot, since that apartment seemed such a catch.

After marvelling over the modern shower with different sets on it, Emma finally came back to the living room and stood in front of the study's door. Her luggage hadn't still arrived, so she would leave her room for when she had her things, and the study was the last place she had left. The soundproof room. As she turned the doorknob she tried not to think how weird that was. It was only when she was inside when she understood.

The peace and quiet that reigned in the space was unbelievable. She hadn't enjoyed a silence like that since she had been in her mother's womb. Emma walked in and the door closed behind her, making her jump at the noise suddenly so loud. Her hand ran over the different books on the shelves, while she read their titles and found some interesting ones. There was a whole variety of themes that went from religions around the world to a cooking book.

She reached for one that prayed  _The art of flying_ , curious about what it would be about, and took a seat in one of the two sofas that were in the room. They weren't uncomfortable, but Emma had to wiggle for a moment to find a good position and opened the book. She found a lot of pictures and drawings of different kinds of planes and it was after the third yawn when her eyelids gave in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for the comments and kudos! I hope this keeps being interesting for you.

Regina lifted her sunglasses and left them on her head as she pushed the door open. Her eyes were on her phone, focused on reading whatever was on the screen, and didn't raise her gaze when she murmured a hello towards the doorman.

"Hello, Ms. Mills. I already brought the luggage to your apartment, but there was no one at home."

She stopped on her tracks and turned, finally looking up from her phone with a frown. "There wasn't?" Sidney shook his head, clueless. "Well, thank you Sidney."

"No need, ma'am," he kindly answered, coming back to the computer he was looking at.

Regina made her way up in the elevator, leaving her phone inside her bag and wondering if Emma had gone out. As Sidney had said, a set of boxes and a couple of suitcases were waiting at the door. Regina opened it and listened for anything inside the apartment that could mean Emma was there, but there was no sound.

She left the bag on the couch and then the take out she had been carrying on her wrist on the dining table as she glanced around. Emma's things were still outside, so she decided to put them inside quickly, surprised by the poor amount of items she owned. After closing the door, she headed towards what now was Emma's bedroom, but on the way she noticed the study's door was closed.

When she opened the door she found what she expected. Emma was sleeping fondly on one of the sofas with an open book on her chest. Her features were troubled and Regina guessed it was probably due a nightmare, so she walked closer and cleared her throat, wondering how she could wake up an almost total stranger. In the end, she leaned down and gently shook one of Emma's shoulders, whispering her name. It took her a couple of whispers more to finally get Emma slowly open her eyes.

"Uh?" she managed to articulate, coming back to sense.

Her gaze found Regina's face, looking at her from above with a funny smile trying to make its way out the corner of her lips. The other woman raised her eyebrows and then glanced down at the book.

"I did not think you would find planes interesting," she said, coming back up. "Or rather uninteresting."

Emma looked down at the book and grabbed it, closing it and leaving it on the café table as she sat on the sofa. "Sorry, I didn't realise I had fallen asleep."

"Clearly," Regina noted amused. She picked up the book and put it back in place. "I would've let you sleep but it looked like you were having a nightmare."

Emma brushed her blonde mane with a hand as she remembered her dream. "Yeah. Pro tip: don't read about flying a plane when you're about to fall asleep."

"Noted," Regina laughed softly as she held the door open. Emma quickly stood and jogged to leave the room, stopping when she saw her suitcases and boxes. "Sidney brought them upstairs but since no one answered the door he left them outside. I didn't know what you wanted to do with them so I just left them there."

A blush crept up Emma's face with embarrassment and nodded. "I'll just put them in my room. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Regina waved her hand already moving over to the kitchen. "I bought Chinese take out, but I didn't really know what you like so I bought a little of everything. I hope you're hungry."

As if her body had been listening, Emma's stomach claimed for attention and Regina smiled, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of wine out of the fridge. Emma took a seat on the table, big enough for at least a group of six, and started to pull the food out of the bags.

"I don't eat meat, so I bought the vegetarian options for me, but you can eat too. I bought enough for both of us, just in case," Regina explained as she took a seat next to Emma, at the head of the table.

"You're a vegetarian?" Regina nodded and Emma imitated her without noticing it. "Cool. I've always wanted to become one but I guess I've never really tried it. I don't really like salads."

"Not everything is salads," Regina recited and Emma felt like she had said that too many times. "You'll see if you stay around."

Emma noticed the  _if_ but decided not to say anything, not quite sure if she wanted to know the answer. Instead, she popped open one of the meals and took a spoonful of rice. "So what do you do for a living?"

Regina's eyebrows shot up and she hid a smile behind one of the bowls. "I'm kind of a freelancer."

"But like what do you  _do_?" Emma took a sip of the wine and looked down at it with surprise. She had had many glasses of wines in her life but she never had tasted one that was as good as this. Probably because she used to but the cheapest one.

"You could say I work in favour of the people."

"Social worker?" Emma pointed at her with the chopsticks.

Regina nodded. "Sort of. And what do you do?"

"I started a few weeks ago in a lab."

"So you're a doctor?" Regina wondered as she watched Emma with interest.

The blonde shook her head as she laughed. "No, no. I'm just there to help the brains. I make sure they always have clean panels, tubes, gloves, etc. It's not that exciting really but it's a job and it pays well."

"I hope."

Emma opened her eyes wide and nodded. "I promise I will make all the payments in time."

Regina laughed softly, which confused Emma, and clarified. "It was a joke. If you're late in a payment, it's okay."

Emma released a relieved sigh. "Right, but I will though."

"Nice to know. Now let's leave that aside and focus on you," Regina leaned forward on the table and her eyes landed on Emma's. "What can you tell me about you that I should know now that we share our living space?"

Emma wiggled in her seat, suddenly too aware of Regina's intense gaze. "Well, uh, I usually take my time in the shower, I like to watch reality shows on TV and I'm a heavy sleeper, as you just saw."

"I did," Regina smiled. "And that would be all?"

Emma shrugged, "I guess? I don't really know what else to say. I'm pretty uninteresting."

"I don't agree."

Their gazes locked for a moment and Emma swallowed the piece of chicken that she had just eaten. She glanced down at her plate and cleared her throat. "What about you? Any perks?"

Regina watched Emma for a moment, like considering something, before leaning back and taking the glass of wine with her. "I sometimes travel, more often than I would like, so don't be surprised if I'm not here for a couple of days every week. I will always tell you in case you need anything and I don't appear. I also appreciate privacy so my room if off limits as well as yours is off mine. I don't really watch TV so you're free to watch and record anything you want. And I think that's all."

Emma nodded, mentally taking note of everything she had said. "Okay, that was a list."

"Oh, and you're, of course, free to bring anyone you want at home, but I'm not going to make them breakfast, lunch or whatever. Your guest, your responsibility," she added.

"What about your…guests?" Emma asked.

Regina smirked and lowered her head. "I'll take care of them." Emma reached for the glass of wine to have anything to do to avoid Regina's eyes and nodded.

There was no doubt Regina didn't mess around and it stunned Emma. She wasn't used to people to go straight to the point like her.

"So work, perks, food," she said raising a bowl of veggie noodles. "We've covered the essentials I think."

"Yeah," Emma laughed softly. "It almost feels like a date."

"It does, doesn't it?" Regina asked staring into Emma's eyes for a moment before her phone rang and her attention shifted towards the device. "Sorry it's about work."

"Don't worry." Emma shook her head but Regina was already standing up and heading towards the terrace. Emma followed her with her eyes and watched the other woman close the glass door behind her as she picked it up.

Emma stared at her, hypnotized by the way Regina was talking, and when she realized it was a private conversation she snapped out of it. She glanced around the table and grabbed the bowl of noodles Regina had been picking at a few moments ago. As she had said, she wasn't into vegetables at all. A pizza or a good burger could beat any other healthy food, even knowing eating well was good for her well-being. Still, she gave the noodles a try, convincing herself it was like pasta, and when she swallowed the first bite she admitted it wasn't as bad as she had thought. In fact, she disconnected completely and only paid attention to the bowl in front of her.

She glanced at the chopsticks and wondered if she would be able to eat with them as easily as Regina made it look like but, before she could even try, a voice startled her from behind.

"Enjoying that?" Regina asked taking a seat, leaving her phone with the screen down this time.

Emma raised her head from the bowl and guiltily smiled. "I thought I could try it and maybe I got too excited about it. There's still some though," she added handing the bowl to Regina, who shook her head.

"Don't worry, I was done anyways. I'm glad you liked it."

"I mean how could I not?" Emma said stuffing another bite in her mouth. "Is it the sauce?"

Regina shrugged, amused as she sat back on her chair and crossed her arms after taking a sip of wine. "I told you it wasn't all about salads."

"You're going to need a lot more to convince me," Emma pointed out and Regina raised an eyebrow.

"If you're willing to let yourself be convinced, I accept the challenge."

Emma laughed and pointed at her with the fork . "Good luck with that."

"I saw you eyeing the chopstick. Don't you dare to use them?" Regina asked completely throwing Emma off balance by the change of subject.

"It's not that I don't dare. I just don't know how to use them," she shrugged.

"Oh, it's easy." Regina leaned forward and grabbed the chopsticks. "You put one of them here, between these fingers, like a pencil. Then you put the other here and with these fingers you move that one, leaving the first chopstick still." She showed the other woman during the explanation and Emma noticed the elegance in every move Regina's fingers made. Pretty much like everything Regina seemed to do.

"You make it look easy, but I've tried before and trust me, I'm just a lost cause," she assured.

"Come here," Regina suddenly said reaching for Emma's hand. She grabbed it softly and explained her again the process, but Emma's attention was on Regina's fingers caressing hers. "Get it?"

"Uh…" Emma tried it, although she already knew the result, and when they fell to the table, she shrugged. "Told you."

Regina laughed. "Give me a few days and you will master it."

"If you get me to be able to eat once with them, I will try your veggie food for a weel," Emma challenged her.

"Deal," Regina said extending her hand. Emma took it and they shook their hands. "I'm already thinking about recipes."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Emma joked. She didn't know if it was the wine or the nerves that were gone now, probably both, but she felt a lot more relaxed and comfortable. "Everything okay at work?"

"What?" Regina asked, confused.

"The call," Emma explained pointing behind her before having the last sip of wine of the night.

Regina's eyebrows shot up. "Oh that. Actually, I have to work tonight so I'll probably come back late."

"So is there trouble?" Emma asked frowning.

"No, no. It's just...an urgent matter. It happens sometimes," she waved her hand, but Emma noticed some irritation in her tone.

"Ah…" Emma nodded like if she knew what she was talking about. "It's what you get when you work with people, right?"

Regina laughed and nodded, "Yes, you could say that," she laughed as she nodded. Then she started to pick up everything from the table and Emma joined her. "Anyways, I hope I don't wake you up when I come back, and if I do—."

"Don't worry," Emma cut in following her into the kitchen to put the leftovers in the fridge. "I work in the afternoon tomorrow so it's okay."

"You work on weekends?" Regina asked, curious.

Emma put the glasses on the dishwasher and closed it, shaking her head. "No, but I asked for a free day today and I have to cover the hours I didn't do." Regina opened her mouth to talk but her phone rang again on the table and both of them glanced at it. "You're quite in demand today."

Regina laughed softly and nodded, "I have some busy days and you got here just in the middle of a job." She walked over to her phone, which had stopped ringing, and read a message. "I'm going to get some things before I leave. Again, the house is yours. I hope you feel comfortable and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me."

Emma only nodded because Regina was already closing the door of her bedroom behind her. The boxes were all on the floor of her bedroom and she was too lazy to start putting everything in place, so she just searched for the box with her toothbrush and fishes a shirt from another. She was taking off her clothes when she heard a muffled 'Bye Emma!' from outside before the front door closed.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Regina stormed into the building. Sidney's shift had ended hours ago, so she typed a code in the alarm set for when he left the building for security. Her steps were heavy and they matched with the thrumming of her heart.

"If I hadn't been notified in such a short noticed I would have managed to—" she roared into her phone as she pressed the elevator button repeatedly. "Yes, of course I am the best, but no one told me he would have a fucking army as security guards. I did what I could."

She listened the person in the other side of the line as she pressed the number 9. "No, you listen. I can do it, just give me another day." She closed her eyes, pinching her nose as a masculine voice explained her something. The elevator doors opened and she walked out, fishing the keys in her bag. When she raised her hand to open the door, she saw a stain of blood in her sleeve and sighed.

"Trust me. I've never failed at this. I will finish what I started," she whispered into the phone before entering the house. Then she murmured 'thanks' and hung up. "Dickhead."

The lights were off when she entered the apartment and it was quiet. She gently closed the door and glanced down at her sleeve. "Fuck," she murmured under her breath. Her purse fell on the sofa as she unbuttoned her shirt and prepared the bathroom sink to put the garment inside. She closed her eyes and repeated the events she had just lived in her mind, using the sound of the water to focus.

* * *

Emma was awake when she heard the front door open. The improvised nap she had taken earlier had the consequences of staying up well past midnight. She was playing on her phone, but she left it aside to listen to Regina. There was some shuffling and then she heard the water stream. The thought of the running water made her thirsty, so she got up and slowly opened the door.

It was dark except for the kitchen dim lights that were on and they guided Emma. When she left the small hallway she immediately saw Regina on the bathroom sink, across the apartment, grasping it with her hands. She walked closer letting the floor swallow the sound of her steps since the sound of the water had stopped and noticed Regina wasn't wearing her shirt. The black lace covered part of her back and -now Emma was close- she noticed it stood up in Regina's tan skin. She breathed in and Regina turned quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Emma whispered quickly as she saw Regina's shoulders and features visibly relaxing.

"It's okay," she whispered back. Then, with a louder, more confident voice, she added, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I was already awake," Emma shrugged. She eyed the sink behind Regina and nodded at it. "Everything alright?"

Regina followed her gaze before she walked out of the toilet and closed the door behind her. "I just stained my shirt." Emma nodded absently, trying to ignore the fact Regina was standing in front of her wearing only her bra from her waist up and looking quite comfortable that way, which made her more attractive. "What are you doing up?"

"Uhm I was going to get a glass of water." Emma pointed at the kitchen at her left and Regina walked in front of her to open the fridge. She pulled out the bottle of wine they had been drinking before and took a sip directly from it. She grimaced at it and left it on the counter.

"Too bad I don't have anything stronger," she murmured to herself.

Emma, grabbing a glass of water, eyed her from the corner of her eyes. "Work didn't go as planned?"

Regina leaned back on the counter. She was still wearing her high heels and she could almost sit on it, but she glanced at Emma at her side, looking back at her with wide eyes, and sighed. Work had been a disaster and she would have to deal with an unfinished job as soon as she could to not to fuck everything up. It had never happened to her and the frustration made her blood boil. Usually she dealt with frustration the old way: taking a prey home and have sex until she let all that energy go, but even those plans had failed her when the sweet boy she had been talking to at the club had disappeared after the incident.

She then noticed Emma's shirt ended in her high thighs and revealed toned legs she hadn't noticed before. Her roommate took a sip of water before leaving the glass on the counter, next to the bottle of wine, and Regina watched her lick her lips maintaining the eye contact. She didn't think when she leaned forward and felt the last drops of water in Emma's soft lips.

Regina was about to separate, thinking she had gone too hard too fast, but then Emma pushed and responded to the kiss. Regina's hand moved to the back of Emma's neck, tugging at golden locks, as the kiss deepened, wasting no time. It wasn't a tender kiss and she gasped when Emma pressed their bodies together and the edge of the counter dug in her lower back.

Before she could register it Emma's mouth was on her neck and one of her hand had snuck inside her bra. Regina sighed with pleasure and was taken aback when Emma lifted her and sat her on the counter. Her pants were soon a problem solved as they fell to the floor and Emma moved her hand up her thigh. Regina's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she threw it backwards, her hips moving forward to meet Emma's rhythm, only surrounded by their ragged breath and eventual moans.

"You may be bad with chopsticks but that's the only bad thing you're at with your fingers," she breathed, and moaned when she felt Emma's chuckle on her neck.

Regina felt the wave building inside her and silently prayed for Emma to never stop as she tugged hard at her hair to keep her close. It was only when she felt her lungs running out of air when she pulled back and stared into Emma's eyes a moment before she closed her own and her forehead hit the other woman's shoulder.

She took a few seconds to catch her breath again, feeling the relaxing buzz run through her body. Emma took a step back and Regina took a chance to come down the counter and pick up her pants and underwear. She buttoned it up under Emma's gaze and grabbed the bottle of wine, placing a hand on her roommate's shoulder.

"Good night, Emma." She reached for her purse and walked towards her room, still without her shirt. Regina stopped and glanced over her shoulder, "By the way, if you don't like light in the morning, I recommend you close the curtains. It can get annoying."

Emma blinked with the sound of the door closing.


	3. Chapter 3

The sunglasses slid down her nose as Regina watched her target. A man in his late 60's was talking to his security guards as he clutched a young girl's arms. Regina's lips curled with disgust and studied the girl's face to find the look of fear she expected to find.

Regina was sitting in one of the hotel hall's sofas seemingly reading something on a tablet. She pushed her sunglasses up and noticed the guards nodding before her target got into the elevator only with the helpless girl. A few of the men that formed the security team walked away while the rest of them waited for the next elevator, and Regina lowered her head so they didn't spot her.

The unfinished job from the day before had forced her to reveal her identity, but a wig and sunglasses can work wonders when it comes to a group of stupid men such as the guards. She waited until they were out of the building to stand up and head towards the receptionist.

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Mr. Miller. I bring...supplies," Regina said with a high-pitched voice. The man behind the desk narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, she clarified. "Dora couldn't come today. There's a terrible flu virus flying around."

His shoulders relaxed as his eyes opened. "Yeah, I caught one of those last week."

"Then I better stay away," Regina joked, making him laugh. "So I came for her but she forgot to tell me which room he's staying today."

"He's…" he said checking it on his computer. "Room 265."

"You're too nice. I hope Dora gets sick more often," she winked as she gifted him the sweetest of her smiles.

He blushed and laughed softly. "Yeah...Tell her I hope she gets better thought."

"Will do!" Regina promised as she walked away. As soon as she turned she rolled her eyes and headed towards the stairs.

She should've known by now, but it still surprised her how easy the whole process was. Once she knew Miller's routine it was easy to make a plan. He would go out almost every night and at the end of the party he would take home the girl he wanted. Then, on the way to his favourite hotel, he would call his reliable source of sex toys so they would deliver what he needed. It was always Dora. The only thing it felt like a challenge for Regina was to get rid of the guards in the door of the room 265. Perhaps what made it so easy for her was that she didn't even had to check for cameras since an investigation some weeks before had revealed they turned off the cameras while he was in there. He was that important. And corrupt.

She studied the map of the hallways that hung on the wall and quickly found the room she was looking for. Taking a deep breath, she checked she had everything she needed before she went out of the stairs. The room in question wasn't far away and she could hear the soft chattering of the two guards that flanked the door. Stopping on a corner, Regina closed her eyes and focused on the sounds, calculating their position. The wire was firm in her hand, inside the pocket of her coat.

She wished she could have her earphones on and play one of her favourites songs. With her eyes closed, Regina imagined the vinyl slowly falling onto the turntable and placing the needle on top of it as "We're not gonna take it" by Twisted Sister started playing.

A bag she had carried for her alibi was left on the corner when she turned, her head down. They immediately saw her and stared at her, suspicious and already reaching for their guns.

"Hello, I'm looking for room 265?" she asked with the same innocent voice she had used with the receptionist. Before any of them could answer, she was already close enough so she pulled out the wire and jumped towards the guard nearest to her. She climbed her back and rounded his big neck with the wire, pulling hard enough for him to feel out of air. The other guard was trying to point his gun at her, but Regina was using the other guy's body as a shield, and only when he fainted, she fell with him. She used thrust of his body to roll on the floor and swept the other guy's feet, making him trip and fall as well. All that was left was for Regina to pin him down and use the wire to strangle him as well. It took longer than the other one, and even some drops of blood stained Regina's hands, but soon the guard's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he stopped resisting.

"Thanks," she murmured breathily before blowing a strand of hair off her face.

Checking both sides of the hallways, she grabbed one of the big guys from his collar and tugged. It took her a few minutes, but she managed to drag them to the nearest laundry room and steal the key card. Once in front of the door, she lifted her dress and pulled out the knife she had been keeping for that moment. She had grabbed one of the guard's gun just in case, but she wanted to finish that job as he deserved it.

The door was silently opened and closed, and Regina listened carefully to guess where they were. It wasn't hard to find the girl sitting on a couch next to a drunk -and very probably high- Francis Miller whispering who knew what in her ear. Regina caught the girl's gaze and her eyes opened wide, but before she could say anything, Regina placed a finger on her lips and nodded at him. The young girl lowered her gaze and breathed out.

It was quick. One second she was standing on the door, the other she was hitting the man's head with a stool. He fell to the floor, woozy from the blow. Regina raised her gaze to the girl, then glanced to the wad of cash sitting on a nearby table.

"Get the cash and run." Miller growled from the floor and Regina's attention came back to him. "Go," she repeated urgently to the girl, who suddenly snapped out of it and nodded.

"Thank you," she softly said from the door before disappearing from sight.

Regina waited for the door to close again before kneeling down to meet Francis Miller's confused gaze.

"Now, let's have fun. Shall we?"

* * *

Emma didn't need the alarm to wake up. Her body slowly stirred from its slumber as her mind became conscious. For a moment she thought she was back in Mary Margaret's loft, but the brightness didn't add up and neither did the ceiling she saw when she opened her eyes. She remembered the old woody ceiling, with the cracks and lines she had learned from many years waking up to it, but this one was just white. A plain white ceiling.

Her mind went immediately to the previous night. To Regina's face buried in her shoulder, the soft moans vibrating against her skin and the tugs on her shirt. Emma thought she had taken care of the warmth on her body afterwards on her own, but it lit up at the memory and she groaned.

She rolled on the mattress and reached for her phone, looking for a distraction. She read a message from her ex roommate wishing her a good day and Emma smiled. It felt weird to 1. not have the apartment smelling like cocoa in the mornings and 2. going to work on a Saturday. That was life from now on and she had to get used to it. At least to the first point.

The house was empty and quiet when she left her bedroom, and she was almost relieved to not having to deal with Regina after waking up. What had happened had left her in a puddle of mixed feelings and if Emma was good at something was at avoiding feelings she had to deal with. Especially when she felt she had ruined a good opportunity of a living place like that.

Face washed and bladder empty, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. She barely remembered where the food was from her tour the previous day, but it wasn't hard to find everything she needed. What she found thought, was that Regina seemed to live somewhere else, or at least eat, because there was a few of the basics and little more. Emma fished a bag of sliced bread on the back of a cupboard and butter from the fridge. However, when she opened the butter a repulsive smell hit her in her face and she almost threw up.

"Some cheese it is then," she murmured picking up the cheese from the fridge. Luckily for her, it was fine.

When everything was ready she sat on the living room's table and took a bite from her sandwich, scrolling down her phone. Emma still hadn't swallowed down the first bite when the front door opened.

"Oh, you're awake," Regina cheerfully said as she entered the apartment. She was wearing a short black dress and a coat, and she looked ready to go to work. "I recommend you having breakfast on the terrace while you can. Winter won't be so nice."

Emma watched her moving around the kitchen, preparing some coffee and the rest of her breakfast. She looked happy and Emma felt a little proud, counting on the previous night for the good mood.

"I forgot," she just said with a shrug. "Still getting used to live here. By the way, I threw away the butter."

Regina stopped to look at her, her eyebrows high in her forehead.

"Was it bad?"

"Decomposing" Emma corrected.

Regina wrinkled her nose and Emma tried to look away and not think it had been cute. "Sorry. I don't usually have breakfast here."

"I noticed," Emma murmured under her breath. Then she tilted her head, glancing at the mug in the other woman's hand. "Why the change?"

Regina raised it to her mouth and closed her eyes to the taste of warm coffee. "I have a roommate now."

Emma was thankful Regina's eyes were closed, because she shifted uncomfortably in the chair, not really knowing what to say. Instead of risking saying something absurd, she just went back to scrolling down and one of the news caught her eyes.

"Hey, did you see this?" she asked showing her roommate the phone.

Regina walked closer and leaned forward over the chair, using it as a support with her free hand while the other clutched the mug. She read the headline.  _Francis Miller, co owner of sports company Klog, found with his mouth sliced in hotel room._ Emma watched how the only facial expression in Regina's face was a soft lopsided smile.

"That must have hurt," she just said before taking a sip and redirecting her attention to the letters she had picked up on her way up.

"Yeah," Emma agreed, coming back to her breakfast. She read the news and grimaced when she read the details. After a moment, she seemed to realize Regina's clothes. "Are you working again today?"

Regina raised her gaze from one of the letters and openly smiled. "Actually, I answered an early call this morning and I'm free for the day. You have a shift today right?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah. I'll leave around 2."

"Good," Regina smiled, leaving the mug on the table. "I am going to sleep for a while to recover from the few hours of sleep. If you need anything though, you can just knock. I'm not a heavy sleeper."

Emma opened her mouth, not even knowing what she was going to say, but she didn't even have to think about it because Regina had already closed the door of her bedroom and left her alone. Again.

* * *

The machine shrieked when Emma passed the card and its screen lit up with her name. "Two minutes early. Not bad, Emma," she murmured to herself with a proud smile.

The building was almost empty except for the few dedicated doctors and staff who didn't seem to have a life, in Emma's opinion. They gave her the opportunity to work there though, so she was thankful they had no life. She nodded and smiled at the doorman as she walked past his desk and pressed the elevator button. Music was blasting from her earphones, but she still heard the sound when it arrived.

After changing her clothes to the dull white jumpsuit she had as an uniform and picking up the bucket, she made her way to the top floor to start her round. She walked past a few scientific looking workers and some of them nodded at her as a salute, but most of them were minding their own business, carrying papers and test tubes. It was her third week already but if someone asked her to identify any of them in an identification parade, she'd have a really hard time at getting it right. It's not that she didn't care, she just wasn't good at faces. But also, she didn't care.

She had found she wasn't bad at cleaning as she had thought when she first started the job. Actually it was quite easy, as long as she could have her music. Emma softly murmured the lyrics of her favourite songs as she swiped clean the long tables and shelves carefully as to not to drop anything. Repeating the same routine, she went from top to bottom, stopping on the floors she had on her schedule and crossing other workers, not only doctors but also cleaners, on her way down.

When she arrived at the empty lockers room, she glanced at the big clock hanging on the wall to her right and smiled. She had finished her work half an hour early. Emma used that extra time to take her time taking the jumpsuit off and giving Mary Margaret a call. She hadn't heard of her and she was sure it was because her former roommate respected her space, as much as Mary Margaret was dying to call.

As she had expected, the other woman picked up the phone at the second tone.

"Hello?"

"Hey there Double M," Emma said into the phone. She was balancing it between her shoulder and neck, using her free hands to pull out her bag out of her locker.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret happily exclaimed. "How are you? How's the new apartment? And the mysterious roommate?"

Emma laughed at the euphoria of her friend and decided to start by the beginning, leaving out the making out part for the sake of both her friend and her own pride.

* * *

The subway jumped and Emma gripped the pole, hoping the surfboard that towered her from her left would stay in place and not fall over her. Who the hell carried a surfboard in the subway anyways? She moved a little to escape a certain death and got closer to the window. Her eyes followed the scrolling on her phone as the news rolled down but she was barely reading them. Instead, her mind was wandering about what would happen when she arrived at the apartment.

That morning Regina hadn't mentioned anything about what had happened and Emma was starting to doubt she ever would. Still, she played different scenarios that went from a full soap opera with screaming and crying to another make out session in every room. She shook her head and tried to focus on something else, but as if universe had been reading her mind, she got a text from Regina.

_Are you coming for dinner?_

**Yeah, I'm on my way** , Emma typed. The answer came almost instantly.

_I'll wait for you then._

Emma was going to write she didn't have to wait for her, but then she stopped. It's not like she was going to miss an opportunity to hang around Regina.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma tried to open the door, but the key didn't give in. She remembered the instructions Regina had told her: get the key in and then pull up. She did so, but it remained closed. She gave it another try, grunting as she pulled up, but nothing happened until the door suddenly opened. Regina was on the other side, wearing black slacks and a light blue shirt. Her eyebrows were raised and the shadow of a mocking smile hid in the corner of her lips.

"Up and pull," she just said.

"I did that," Emma replied equally bothered and flustered by the fact that Regina looked like a model. "It didn't work."

Regina pulled out the key and stepped outside to stand by her side, closing the door. "Here, look. Key in, up and pull," she listed as she demonstrated it. The door opened and she turned to Emma. "Come here and try."

Reacting immediately, more than Emma would like to admit, she followed Regina's wave and took a step to stop in front of the door. Regina walked around her to stand by her side, close enough for Emma to feel her breath in her cheeks. She got the key in, pulled the door up and then towards her. Regina placed her hand over Emma's and helped her.

"A little gentler," she softly said. The door opened and Regina separated from her, "See?"

Emma followed her inside and noticed the other woman wasn't wearing high heels so she was slightly shorter than her. It felt odd walking into the apartment following her; Emma still felt like an outsider.

"I thought about ordering pizza," Regina announced as she took a seat on the sofa. A paper was spread on the table and it seemed she had been reading it before Emma clumsily tried to make her way into the apartment. Emma tried to hide the surprise at the question, but Regina caught it. "What?"

"Nothing," Emma shrugged, leaving her bag on the dining table along with her keys. "I just thought you didn't, you know…like that kind of food."

"Why?" Regina insisted with a funny smile from the sofa.

Emma felt the blush on her neck and licked her lips, nervously trying to find the right words to say she didn't expect Regina to eat fast food with that body. "You look…fancier than that," she managed to say.

Regina couldn't hold back the soft laughter and raised an eyebrow. "Pizza can be fancy."

"Not the one I eat," Emma pointed out while she pulled out her phone from her pocket. She quickly glanced at it and saw the notification of a text from Mary Margaret, making a mental note to answer it later.

"Well, today I am in a good mood and I give into some guilty pleasures sometimes too," she winked.

Emma nodded, more to have something to do instead of letting the flush on her cheeks to betray her. "Anyways, I'm fine with pizza."

"Thought so," Regina nodded. She reached for her laptop, which Emma hadn't noticed until then, and raised her gaze. "I'm ordering a veggie one, of course. You?"

"Uh, Funghi?"

"No meat. I like it" Regina commented wriggling her eyebrows.

Emma laughed. "You're not getting any from my pizza."

"We'll see," Regina shot back. Then she pressed enter and closed the laptop. "Done. It'll be here in 20."

"Nice," Emma sighed and pointed at the bathroom. "If you don't mind I'm going to take a shower."

"You don't have to ask for permission, Emma. All of this is yours now too," Regina smirked as she stood up.

Emma nodded and tried to resist the shiver at the way Regina had said her name. "I know, I know. I'll just…go," she murmured before disappearing.

* * *

The doorbell rang and Emma jumped startled in her room. She was pulling out her pyjamas from one of the boxes while holding the towel together on her body. It rang again and she wondered if Regina had left; she hadn't heard the door. Throwing her pyjamas on without underwear since she didn't have time to find it, she bolted to the door. Regina was nowhere to be seen so she picked up the pizza and gave the deliverer a few bills she saw next to the door as a bill. He shot his eyebrows up and murmured thanks before Emma closed the door. The warmth of the boxes was starting to bother her, so she left them on the table and searched for Regina.

"Regina?" she called, but there was no answer. The door of her bedroom was closed, so she knocked twice, but it was clear there was nobody there when she leaned in to listen. Emma then noticed the study's door closed and decided to give it a try.

This time she leaned in first and heard some shuffling inside, not enough to hear what she was doing but at least to know there was someone there. Emma knocked and pressed the doorknob but she tripped with her feet when the door didn't open. She frowned and knocked again, listening in silence until finally Regina opened the door.

"Sorry. Time flies in there!" she smiled. Her eyes -or maybe her nostrils- found the pizza on the table. "Nice! I was starting to get especially hungry."

Emma watched her walk over to the kitchen to get some glasses and, of course, the bottle of wine from the fridge. She wanted to ask why she had locked herself up inside a sound proof room, but she figured if Regina hadn't said it, she shouldn't ask. Everyone deserves some intimacy, she guessed.

"I think you watch a lot more TV than me," Regina commented while she grabbed the pizza and headed towards the sofa. "So why don't you choose something entertaining to watch?"

"Entertaining?" Emma asked joining her. Regina lifted the bottle and Emma nodded, so her glass was filled.

"Yes. You said you liked to watch reality shows, didn't you?"

Regina handed her the glass and the remote. "Well, yeah. Is there any of them you like?"

"I think I haven't seen one in years. I don't really have time to stop and watch TV." Emma frowned, slightly offended by that, and Regina noticed so she quickly tried to fix it. "I meant that I never had that hobby of watching TV."

Emma nodded, but Regina could tell she hadn't fixed it at all. "We could just see what's on tonight and choose from that."

The TV screen lit up and it showed a long list of channels. For a person who doesn't like to watch TV, Regina had too many even for Emma. She surfed her way through them while Regina cut the pizzas in silence. Just when she finished and picked up one of the portions, Emma left the remote on the table.

"What is it then?" Regina asked, the piece of pizza in her hand while she blew it colder.

Emma, however, picked up one and directly took a bite, feeling the burning sting in her tongue when she did so. She opened her mouth and blew, stubbornly still trying to swallow the bite. Regina offered a funny smile and Emma noticed it was because she was trying not to laugh.

"Just old, plain The Bachelor," she said once she managed to hardly swallow the pizza. Resigned, she copied Regina and blew on the pizza before taking another bite. "There isn't anything really good tonight so."

"This isn't good?" Regina asked with a confused frown.

Emma laughed and shook her head, "None of them is, but they're funny." She saw by the corner of her eye how Regina nodded and glanced at the TV, her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to focus on the show. They had caught it already started, if only for 10 minutes, but Emma was quick to catch which season was and what was happening. It didn't take long for Regina to ask the first question about the show.

"Okay so I understand the girls are trying to get the guy's attention, right?" Emma nodded and Regina hummed to herself. "And he's rich?"

"Yeah, it's like the catch."

"Shouldn't "the catch" be he's a good man and handsome and good in bed?" Regina asked before taking a bite of the pizza and Emma laughed.

"I guess that's what you like in a man?"

"And in a woman," Regina pointed out. "Don't you?"

"If I like that of a woman?" Emma choked.

Regina nodded, "Or a man."

Emma lowered her gaze to the piece of pizza in her hand and felt Regina's eyes on her before she even answered. "I mean, I guess. Those are good traits, but money is a plus."

Regina considered that for a second and then nodded in agreement. "That's true. But I don't see him trying to introduce himself as a good man."

Emma was surprised by Regina's zero knowledge in The Bachelor -had she lived under a rock these past years?- but indulged her questions. "Maybe they like bad boys."

"Those are only useful for one thing and it's not what they seem to want," Regina noted, making Emma swallow at the spontaneity.

"Well, you'll see."

Regina looked at her. "Oh, you've seen it already?"

"Yeah, this was like 2 seasons ago. The new season is on tomorrow."

There was no response but a nod from Regina, and both of them resumed watching it. In the show a party was happening and the bachelor was talking to a few of the girls. Emma was quick to finish her pizza, but she left the last portion to offer to Regina.

"No, thanks. I'm already full," she said with a smile. Emma glanced at her pizza and counted all three pieces she had eaten. "Would you like to try mine?"

Emma had never been a vegetable lover and mixing such a good meal like pizza with them was like betraying the Gods of Pizza, but there was something in Regina's eyes that made her say yes. It was a pleasant surprise when she took a bite and it was a lot more tasteful than she had thought.

"Mmm, it's good," she said through a mouthful of pizza. Regina smiled, pleased with the reaction. "Do you want to go vegan?" Emma asked all of the sudden.

It took Regina a little by surprise, but she quickly recovered after a sip of her glass of wine. "I'd like to. I'm trying but with work I barely have time to choose what I eat so it's proving to be a good challenge for me."

"Vegetarian sounds hard enough for me, but vegan? Cheese is my favourite," she sighed after swallowing another bite.

"There's vegan cheese, you know that right?" Regina pointed out. "I'll buy some for you to try it."

"Oh you don't have to." Emma felt the blush threatening at the back of her neck again. A yawn interrupted whatever she was going to say and Regina glanced up.

"A tiring day today at work?"

Emma shrugged, "Not that much, but there are a lot of floors to clean. Scientist are not as clean as you may expect."

The TV was just a background noise at this point, and both women were facing each other in the sofa, the blinking light from the screen casting a shadow in their faces. A glass of wine hung from Regina's fingers and, by the way it effortlessly danced in her hand, Emma briefly wondered if it was a habit.

"And what exactly do you do? Just wipe the dust and polish tubes?" The brunette asked with a curiosity Emma was already getting used to.

"Mostly. I leave everything ready to use, but I don't even really know what all of those machines and stuff are for. For all I know they could be making drugs and I wouldn't be aware," she laughed at her own joke. "And you? I remember you worked early this morning."

Regina's look was almost feline when she smiled like she was holding a big secret. "It was just a quick job. Anyways," she said waving her free hand and standing up from the sofa. "I will retire to my room and leave you to rest."

Emma watched her picking up the pizza boxes and carry them to the kitchen. That meant Regina didn't have anything to talk about what had happened the previous night and Emma wasn't going to make a fool of herself by bringing it up, so she stood up as well and turned off the TV.

"I can wash the glasses," she offered, but Regina was already at it, shaking her head with her back to Emma.

"Don't worry," she assured. She glanced over her shoulder and shot a smile that left Emma almost glued to the spot. "Good night, Emma."

"Good night," she murmured back before walking to her room.

It was quiet in contrast to the bright lights that came through the windows. Emma's muscles suddenly relaxed and felt heavy, so she didn't waste a minute and slid beneath the sheets, giving in almost instantly.


	5. Chapter 5

Sundays were a tradition for Emma, and by tradition she understands she would sleep until her body couldn't stand another minute laying down. However, last night she had forgotten to close the curtains and the morning sun light was fighting its way into her eyes. She groaned into the pillow and rolled in the mattress, trying to find some darkness to keep sleeping, but after long minutes she gave up. Emma was still sitting on bed when she heard the front door open.

When she went outside, she found Regina draining a cold bottle of water. She was wearing sports clothes and on her arm there was a band with her phone inside. Her eyes were closed as she drank and Emma could notice the earphones were still on her ears. She then left the bottle aside and her eyes met Emma's figure.

"Hey," Emma nodded although she was sure Regina couldn't hear her.

In response, Regina took off the earphones with a smile bright enough but not giving away anything. "Good morning. I brought butter," she said pointing at the fridge.

"Did you run to the market?" Emma joked as she joined her roommate in the kitchen.

"Actually, I did," Regina answered, completely missing the joke and making Emma laugh softly. "What?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "So you jog in the mornings?"

Emma stopped in front of Regina to get a mug, but the other woman didn't move. Instead, she just swallowed the last drops of water left on the bottle and then looked at her.

"When I get some free time. Also, it's a beautiful day outside." Emma cleared her throat and pointed at the cupboard behind Regina. "Oh, sure," she murmured as she stepped aside enough to let Emma reach for a mug.

"I used to jog too, and work out," Emma shared, internally wondering why she was in such a good mood in the morning, especially when she was supposed to still be in bed.

"I can tell," Regina nodded. It made Emma's first blush of the day creep her cheeks. "You don't do that anymore?"

Emma shook her head, her face in the mug as she poured some coffee it seemed Regina had made earlier that morning. "I lost the habit, I guess. I'm always saying to myself I will start again though."

"It's never too late," Regina pointed out. "I work out five days of the week, if I don't have an urgent job. Perhaps you can come with me some times."

Emma's surprise was visible in her features when she whipped her head to look at Regina. "Five days?" Regina nodded like if it was nothing. "But, like, in a gym?"

"Three days out of the usual five I work out in the park," she said. Emma waited to tell her where she did it the other two days, but the revelation never came and Emma guessed Regina probably didn't want to bring her to the gym. It was enough with sharing an apartment with her. "So, you in?" Regina asked, pulling Emma out of her thoughts.

"Um, sure," she answered, mostly out of obligation for being asked.

Regina smiled and Emma almost dropped her mug. "Good. I'll take a shower. Do you have plans for today?" she asked on her way out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, this evening," Emma nodded. She was about to ask Regina about her plans, but she was already out of her sight, and only heard a 'okay' before the bathroom door closed.

"Okay, so no mentioning the make out session…again," Emma murmured to herself before grabbing the butter on the fridge.

* * *

If Mary Margaret was there, she would be surprised by the level of efficiency Emma was showing. Sundays were lazy days for her, but after seeing Regina so committed to the work out, she felt like a couch potato in a bad way. So, she started by pulling her things out of all the boxes and slowly making that room,  _her_  room. Her earphones were blasting her music, so she didn't hear the first knock. The second, though, she heard it and even jumped, startled.

Emma opened the door and Regina's frown disappeared. "Yeah?" Emma asked.

"Oh you were wearing earphones," Regina noticed out loud, so Emma nodded. "I just wanted to tell you I'm hungry and I'm going to make something. Would you want to join me for lunch?"

Emma shot a glance at the clock hanging on the wall and raised her eyebrows, "It's that hour already! I hadn't realised."

"Time flies when you have so much fun," Regina said, and Emma couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was serious.

"Uh…yeah…Now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry." Emma threw her earphones on to the bed and joined Regina outside, walking together to the kitchen.

"So, I don't really have any meat here, but perhaps I can make you some pasta so good you forget about it," she raised her eyebrows, throwing Emma a silent question, to which Emma nodded.

"Okay, I'll allow it," she joked, making Regina smile. When her roommate turned, she noticed the tips of her hair were still lightly wet.

"You can go shopping tomorrow if you want. There's a market a block from here and I've been told meat is good there," she continued as she pulled out an onion and mushrooms. "Do you like pasta carbonara?"

Emma took a seat in one of the stools. "I love it, actually."

Regina glanced over her shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows, "Okay, so I have to compete against high expectations."

"Well, I love it, but it's not like I've tried them in a fancy restaurant or anything," Emma clarified. Then, she added, "Do you need help with anything?"

Regina pointed at the pot, "Could you start to cook the pasta?" Then, she stopped and looked at her seriously, "You know how to do that, do you?"

Emma laughed and nodded, "I know that much, thank you for the confidence you put in me."

"I just had to check," Regina pointed out unapologetically. "I'll go making the sauce and it will be done in a blink."

They did their tasks in silence, and once Emma was sure the pasta was okay, -now with a little pressure on herself- she watched Regina cutting vegetables and making the sauce. The movements seemed quite natural and she looked like she had experience.

"You handle the knife like a pro. You could be a chef," Emma complimented with her eyes still on Regina's skilful hands.

"Or a killer," Regina laughed softly. Emma laughed along, but nervously, half of her knowing Regina was joking and the other half hoping she was. "I like to cook, actually, but I don't have the pleasure to do it so often. You know, work."

"Your job seems like a lot of work. You must like it to put up with it," Emma commented, remembering the late calls, the vegan thing and the frustration she had felt on Regina a couple nights ago.

Regina's mysterious smile gave little away, but enough to answer Emma before she even said anything. "It pays well."

Emma leaned on the counter, but a flashback of Regina sitting on top of it while she moaned in her shoulder made her awkwardly stand next to it, trying to find somewhere else to lean on. She watched Regina's profile, her features focused on the task she was at, and took a breath. It was now or never; she had to bring it up.

"So…" she started. "About the other night."

"Mmhm?" Regina murmured while she threw the ingredients into the pan, her eyes still on the food.

"You know, when…"

"Yes?"

Emma rolled her eyes, surprised when Regina didn't catch it right away. "When we…"

"Had sex?" Regina finished, finally looking up. Emma just nodded, taken aback by the sudden attention and bluntness. "What about it?"

"Well, yeah…it—" Emma started, but Regina interrupted her.

"Wait, did you think it was meant to be something more?" she asked, and then explained before Emma could answer. "I was quite frustrated and I usually relax that way. You are attractive and seemed like you wanted it. Because you did, right?"

Emma fought the urge to open her eyes wide, but she couldn't help the blush that warmed her cheeks. "I mean, uh, yeah, yes I did," she stuttered.

"Good. Consent is important," Regina recited with a nod while, with a flick of her wrist, she cooked the sauce.

"Okay, yes," Emma nodded. "So I wanted to make sure it wasn't awkward or anything."

Regina poured the cream onto the pan and shook her head, "Oh, no. It isn't awkward for me. Is it for you? It won't happen again."

"No!" Regina titled her head and Emma cleared her throat, "I mean no, it wasn't awkward. It was just like exercising, right? Like, nothing else."

"It could be a way of seeing it, yes," Regina nodded and Emma mirrored her.

The cooktop rang and their attention shifted towards the pasta, so the conversation was left unfinished -at least for Emma-. In fact, they finished cooking lunch and had it while they talked about much lighter things, like Emma's experience in the apartment or stories about the building's neighbourhood. It was such a comfortable and ongoing conversation, Emma almost forgot the embarrassing moment from before. However, after lunch Emma wanted to rest for a while before going out with Mulan. In the end, old traditions are hard to kill and the second she touched the bed, she felt asleep. After all, she had gotten up earlier than usual that morning.

* * *

It was because of that nap, she was in a rush later and barely had time to get dressed and head out of the apartment, running past Regina who was just chilling in the couch with her laptop and waving goodbye over her shoulder. Mulan hated unpunctuality and Emma still didn't know how they were still friends because she was the least punctual person she knew.

The clock marked 5:30 sharp when she crossed the cafe, knocking on the glass next to Mulan -who was already waiting for her, of course- to let her know she was there.

"Hey," Emma breathed out when she fell on the chair in front of her friend. "I'm on time."

Mulan laughed. "You know I'm not going to leave if you arrive a little late, right?"

"I know, but it's like a personal challenge to me at this point," Emma pointed out. "You already ordered?" she asked looking at her friend's cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I had a heavy headache and I needed coffee," she sighed.

"Okay, addict." Emma raised her hand and, the next second, a waitress appeared by their table to take the order. "I'll have a cup of coffee just like hers and…do you have cake?"

"Yes. We now have carrot cake, chocolate cake and lemon cake," the girl recited as she eyed the fridge from there.

"Carrot cake. Two spoons, please," Emma asked, ignoring Mulan's head shake. The waitress nodded and shuffled away once she had written everything down, leaving the pair alone. "So, what's up?" she continued now looking at her friend.

"What's up with me? What's up with you! You're the one starting a new life." Mulan put down her cup, still almost full. "Do you like the new apartment?"

"Like? Girl, it's beyond anything I would've ever found!" Emma exclaimed. "It's amazing. Have you ever been there?"

Mulan shook her head, "Nah. I only know Regina by name, from Merida's friend. Is she nice?"

Emma considered it in her mind before moving her head from side to side. "She is nice."

"But?" Mulan asked, feeling Emma's voice.

"But she's….peculiar."

Mulan frowned, "How so?"

The waitress came back to their table with Emma's coffee and the cake and, after wishing them bon appétit, she left them alone again, letting Emma continue the conversation.

"Have you ever met someone who is good at everything she does except for like behaving like a human being?" Emma rhetorically asked, but Mulan tilted her head confused anyways. "She had never heard of The Bachelor."

Mulan's eyebrows shot up, almost disappearing into her hairline. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's like she's been living under a rock. That and…."

"And?" Mulan encouraged her to continue.

Emma's mind quickly summed up the make out session plus when they had talked about it. "Well, we…kinda slept together."

"Like, cuddling?" Mulan asked, frowning.

"Like sex," Emma whispered, glancing around to check if anyone had heard her. However, half the cafe whipped their head towards them when Mulan exclaimed.

"Sex?!" Emma shushed her and stared at her, so Mulan continued with a lower voice, "You've been there less than a week. The devil works hard but Emma Swan works harder."

Emma raised her hands, "Wait. Have you ever even  _seen_  Regina?"

"No, but from what Merida has told me she's quite a woman."

Emma nodded. "She is, and I hadn't planned on doing anything, not that I didn't want to, but I just started to live in one hell of an apartment, and I didn't want to screw it up. But that's not what's peculiar."

"What is it then?"

Emma ate a spoonful of cake and raised a hand for Mulan to wait for her to swallow. "When we finished, she didn't say anything about it. For days. It was me who brought up the subject."

"And what did she say?" Mulan interrogated her.

"She was almost surprised I brought it up. Like it was a casual thing for her, like if she was talking about shopping a shirt," she explained.

Mulan blinked, waiting for her friend to continue, but when she didn't, she raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'?"

"The fact she is a grown up person and doesn't make a big deal out of casual sex makes her peculiar?" Mulan wondered.

"Well, it's not something you see everyday, isn't it?" Emma pointed out.

"Touché."

"She asked me if I had wanted to do it even," Emma added.

Mulan nodded. "Consent is important for her. Nice. Maybe next time we could hang around your house and you introduce me officially to her," she joked.

"You wish," Emma laughed. "It's like I don't know what she is going to say next."

"You just met so it's normal you don't really know her," Mulan shrugged.

Emma shook her head, "No, it's not like that. It's like, she's so mysterious I think even if I got to know her, I would still don't know what she is going to do next." Mulan narrowed her eyes and watched her friend as she drank from her cup of coffee. "What?" Emma asked.

"Are you falling for her?"

"No!" Emma chocked, hardly swallowing the coffee she had been drinking. "I'm not. We barely know."

"But you want to get to know her," Mulan stated.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Of course. She's my roommate."

"But like…" Mulan shook her hands, "More."

"No," Emma said, but it wasn't enough to convince her friend, who raised an eyebrow. "I mean yeah, if it was another situation. Like I said, I don't want to screw everything up. I'm in a good place right now."

Mulan watched her friend for a moment, considering if she was telling the truth, then nodded. "Okay, okay. Then you can set me up for a date," she wiggled her eyebrows, laughing when Emma shot her a death glare. "You know what it would be good for you? Tinder."

"No."

"But you haven't tried it!" Mulan insisted, leaning forward. "It doesn't have to be for a serious relationship, you can just look for casual flings here and there. It helps."

Emma crossed her arms and leaned back on the chair. "You know that's not really my thing. I'm the worst at texting."

"You don't have to be good at it. You just have to have the looks, and you do."

"Thanks," Emma conceded. "But no thanks."

"C'mon," Mulan insisted, offering her hand. "Let's just open your account and try it. It's not like you have anything to lose."

Emma took a breath and watched her friend's hand, motioning her to give her the phone. She was serious; she didn't think it could work. However, Mulan was right and she had nothing to lose anyways. It's not like she had to paid or anything, she just could stop using it. With a sigh, she pulled out her phone and handed it to her friend.

"Okay, but don't expect me to use it."

Mulan snatched the phone and smiled widely.

"It's enough for me."

* * *

Emma entered the building and waved at Sidney, who nodded back at her. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out when she pressed the button to call the elevator. The notification prayed there were interesting people for her nearby and she should check them out. She opened the app when the elevator arrived, so she almost hit a man who was coming out of it.

"Sorry," she apologized, raising her head.

An older man the size of her eyed her from head to toe, then stepped aside, leaning on his cane. "You should watch your step, young lady," he said before walking way.

Emma watched him go, as he limped away, and grimaced at his attitude. The door of the elevator started to close and Emma raised her hand to stop it, jumping inside and shaking her head. This time, when she tried to open the door, she did it slowly and it finally clicked, so she smiled triumphally but when she entered the apartment there was no one there to share her victory with. She glanced around and finally found Regina on the terrace, a lit cigarette in her mouth as she smoked it. Emma watched how she let out the air and followed the smoke with her eyes.

Regina glanced over her shoulder and saw Emma, so she moved her head, motioning to come with her, and Emma obeyed.

"I didn't know you smoked," she said, still standing on the door of the small terrace instead of taking the other seat.

Regina took a drag on the cigarette and let out the air slowly, taking her time. She was leaning back on her seat, her legs crossed as her hand rested on the table. While Emma didn't like the act of smoking at all, she found it extremely hot on Regina.

"I don't do it often, just sometimes. Old habits," she said, her voice slightly raspy.

"Ah…" Emma watched the late evening views along with Regina for a moment. The sun was almost out of sight and the sky went from dark blue to orange. "What are you doing out here?"

"Enjoying the evening. It's a beautiful sky we see. Or would see if it wasn't for all these lights," Regina added. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I was with Mulan. The girl who put me in contact with you, remember?"

Regina nodded. "I recall her name, yes."

She didn't elaborate or asked further, so Emma stood leaning on the door in silence as Regina took another drag. After a while, Emma broke the silence. "And you?"

"What?" Regina asked, still not looking at Emma.

"Did you have fun?" she clarified.

"Ah. Yes," she nodded, her voice as distant as her gaze, focused on the horizon.

Emma nodded as well and started to feel awkward. She didn't really know if she should go or stay, but her feet seemed glued to the floor, so she cleared her throat. "There's a new episode of The Bachelor tonight. Wanna watch it?"

Regina put out the cigarette, leaving it on the small ashtray Emma just noticed, and stood up. "I'm afraid I will have to pass this time, but I'm in for next week," she promised with a smile.

Emma nodded and stepped aside for Regina to go in, and she watched her mysterious roommate disappear into her bedroom. Emma shivered and closed the door of the terrace, already feeling the soft chill of the night, and headed towards the kitchen. There, she noticed two cups of what smelled like whiskey; one, with lipstick on, still full and the other empty. She frowned at it; it seemed Regina had had visit and it hadn't left her feeling so good. Emma recalled the man on the elevator and felt like he carried a vibe enough to let Regina in that uneven mood, so she wondered if there was a link between them.

Shaking her head, Emma picked up a beer and opened it hitting the counter before heading towards her room. Regina wasn't going to tell her anything and it wasn't her business, so it was a waste of time to dwell on it.

* * *

The alarm rang in the nightstand and Emma launched her hand to hit snooze before she rolled in bed. She let another five minutes pass, trying to grasp a little more sleep before going to work, but it felt like a second to her. She lived closer to her work now, so she allowed herself to get dressed slowly, as she fully woke up. The last thing to do was to have breakfast, so she walked over to the kitchen, brushing her eyes as she yawned.

There was coffee already made, still warm, so she poured it on a mug and turned, noticing a paper on the desk. She picked it up and read her name on it, so she opened it.

_I'm out of the country until Thursday for work. Our training lessons will have to wait. See you then! -R._

Emma blinked at the note. It took her a moment to remember Regina had said she traveled a lot for work; she had completely forgot. She glanced around the empty house and took a breath. She had that whole apartment for her for the next 3 days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! If there's still anyone out there, I hope this piece can make it out to you.

It was lunch break and Emma took her time to eat the poor tuna sandwich she had just bought at the cafe across the street. It wasn't much but it had to be enough until she finished her shift in a couple of hours. While she unpacked it and tossed the tin foil away, she took the chance to grab her phone and just do what she was best at: wasting time. She was about to text Mary Margaret when a notification popped up.

_You are on fire! 6 people have liked you. Open the app to see who and get ready to swipe right to get a match!_

Emma eyed the fire icon and sighed. What the hell? She was there to waste some time after all. She pressed the icon and the app immediately showed her pictures of a boy. Intuitively, she managed to be able to scroll through the app, seeing many faces swiping right or left. Mostly left.

Suddenly, she stopped at one girl. She looked good, especially with her long dark hair up in a ponytail. In the few -two- pictures Emma could see she wasn't really smiling, but had an ironic smirk that was mysterious enough to decide to swipe right.

"Lily Page," she read out loud, liking the sound of it. Her thumb hovered over the picture and went to swipe right, but her finger slipped and slid up. A big  _Super Like_  appeared on the screen and Emma's eyes went wide.

"No. What is this? How…?" she murmured trying to stop whatever the app was doing, but she only made things worse by swiping right to a few other people. She left her phone on her locker like if it was burning and sighed. "Great."

She closed the locker and finished the sandwich, realizing she had lost some time on the app, and in less than 5 minutes she was going back to finish the day of work. She still had 2 hours until she finished her shift, but Emma was already tired of going from floor to floor, responding calls on her walkie that requested her to clean up something they had spilled. At least she didn't get bored; they were quite clumsy.

"Emma, they need you on the fifteenth floor," the walkie creaked to life with the voice of the doorman. Sha gave a positive and made her way to the elevator, carrying the cleaning trolley with her. Emma started to look for her earphones in her pockets, but it seemed like she had left them in her locker.

The elevator stopped on the main floor as she murmured, "Fuck."

The doors opened and she glanced up to find a familiar face. It took her a second to recognize the one and only Lily Page, also known as a match. By the face she made, Emma guessed Lily had taken even less to identify her. She stepped inside and gave Emma a little smile.

"Hey," she weakly answered. Lily pressed the top floor button and the doors closed. The soft music filled the air, but it wasn't enough to compensate the tension in the air.

"So, this is awkward," Lily finally smiled, breaking the ice.

Emma laughed softly, scratching the back of her head, "Yeah, kinda."

"It was Emma, right?" she asked, but Emma noticed there was no hesitation in her voice.

She nodded. "Lily?" When the girl nodded back, Emma offered a hand. "Nice to meet you in person."

Lily shook her hand and smiled, "Me too. I wasn't expecting us to meet so soon."

"Yeah. They told me it was fast but I didn't know it was  _this_  fast," Emma tried to joke, laughing. She was relieved when Lily joined her.

"So you work here?" Lily asked, nodding at the trolley next to them.

"Yup. Cleaning," Emma shrugged, almost like apologizing. Then asked, "You? I haven't seen you around."

"Jesus, no," she shook her head like if Emma had said something terrible. "I'm just visiting my mom. Mal?" Emma narrowed her eyes, trying to remember anyone with that name but the look on her face betrayed her when Lily added, "The CEO."

"Oh, the big fish."

Lily nodded. "The biggest. Anyway, I'm here to ask her for my car keys since she decided to steal them from me this morning," she explained with an eyeroll. Emma, then, noticed Lily's apparently casual clothes that hid designer's names in the design itself. It was like if she didn't want to look rich but still wore expensive clothes. A rich thing, Emma mentally shrugged.

The elevator came to a stop on the fifteenth floor and Emma raised her head. The doors opened and she pushed the trolley out, stopping in the middle of the exit to turn. "Well, good luck with that."

"Thanks. Good luck with that," Lily said looking at the trolley. "See you soon?"

Emma watched the other girl and smiled at her before leaving the elevator, "I hope so."

* * *

Emma opened the locker, happy to finally take off the jumpsuit that smelled like cleaning products, and the first thing she did was grabbing her phone by habit. She was surprised when she found a message from Tinder.

_Lily Page has sent you a message!_

She stared at her phone, half confused, half nervous about opening it, so she waited until she was ready to go, already leaving the building, to open it.

Lily: how was cleaning?

Emma wrote "boring", but then she remembered Lily was the daughter of the boss of her boss, so she deleted it and rewrote again.

Emma: good enough, your keys?

The answer didn't take long to come, just when Emma was entering the subway.

Lily: in my possession at last.

Emma: don't text and drive.

Lily: I thought you were a cleaner, not a cop. Not driving though.

Emma let out a smile, looking down at her phone, but before she answered the screen lit up with the name of her ex roommate. "Hey," she said. "Did you get my text?"

"Yes! David and I would love to go visit you today, but he has a thing at the shelter all week and won't make it," Mary Margaret explained. Emma heard some bird chirping in the background and she knew her friend was feeding by the window of her room as she always did.

"Aw, too bad. I really wanted you guys to see the apartment."

"But," Mary Margaret almost cut off, making Emma smile. "I'm free, so I can go and David can come some other time."

Emma glanced at someone else's watch and frowned. "Actually, is it okay with you if you come tomorrow? I still have to tidy up some things and throw away some boxes."

"You know I've lived with you long enough to know you're a mess," Mary Margaret giggled.

"Well, I still want to make a good impression," Emma rolled her eyes. "Besides, now that I have the apartment for myself I want to enjoy it a little."

Mary Margaret laughed softly, and Emma could still feel the smile in her voice when she spoke, "Okay then. Tomorrow it is! I can't wait to see that apartment you speak wonders of."

"Awesome," Emma confirmed with a smile. "See you tomorrow!"

Emma hung up and realized it was her stop, so she jumped out of the wagon and puffed as she watched the doors closing. She then made her way out of the station, putting her phone back in her pocket, forgetting the conversation she had opened with Lily.

* * *

The last couple of days had been crazy for Emma. Having the house to herself had felt like both a freeing and imprisoning experience. It was nice to be free to do whatever she wanted in her new apartment, but she also felt the responsibility to have everything tidy up and well, both for the fact that she felt Regina had expensive taste in décor and Mary Margaret coming the next day. However, when her friend had arrived, it all had been nice. It almost felt like they were back together.

Mary Margaret made herself at home right away by making some tea for them and, after Emma made her a house tour, they sat on the terrace to hang out for the rest of the evening. It only got interrupted by Emma's phone vibrating with a new text from Lily.

Lily: Hey, you alive?

They texted for a while, especially when Mary Margaret left and Emma had the house to herself. The conversation went on and on and, at some point in which Emma was almost falling asleep, she invited Lily over the next evening to have dinner at hers.

And that's why Emma was trying to cook some pasta, thinking back to the steps Regina had followed when they had made the same dish a few days ago. She stopped when she remembered the conversation they had had while making lunch but then shook her head and focused. She was trying to have a date with someone else; it was not time to think of Regina. At least not actively.

It was 8 pm sharp when there was a knock on the door. Emma turned the heat down and checked herself on the mirror next to the door. She was wearing a shirt with plants print buttoned up and her best jeans, the ones she knew they hugged her curves. She tried to quickly hair down her mane with her hands and took a breath before opening the door to meet Lily. However, it was not Lily who was waiting for her, but Mary Margaret and David.

"Surprise!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, holding on to David's arm. They were smiling from ear to ear, but they faltered when they noticed Emma's face. "David was able to leave earlier from work and we decided to come and surprise you. Are you going out?" she asked noticing Emma's clothes.

Emma glanced down and shook her head, "Uh, no. Actually I was making dinner…"

Mary Margaret's face lit up, "That's great! Perhaps we can join you, I am starving. What are you making?" She made her way inside, following by David, who mouthed an apology to Emma.

"Pasta, but actually now I'm a little busy," she nervously said after closing the door. She watched her friend nosing on the kitchen while David eyed the apartment. Then, Mary Margaret saw the two plates and glasses and stopped.

"Oh, are you with someone?"

Emma opened her mouth to talk, but a knock on the door stopped her. This time when she opened it, Lily was on the other side, holding a bottle of wine.

"Hey there, star." Instead of stepping aside to let her in, Emma just stared, so Lily cleared her throat. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Emma murmured stepping aside. "But there's something—"

Mary Margaret popped up from the kitchen and joined David with a half surprise, half guilt expression. "Oh Emma, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you had a date."

"Well, it's not a date," Emma tried to explain, but met Lily's frown.

"Oh, really? I do recall you calling it a date."

Emma turned to her, "I mean it  _is_ , but they—"

"Don't worry," David cut in. "We were just leaving, weren't we?" he added pointedly staring at Mary Margaret.

She nodded and smiled, "Yes. We just came here to surprise Emma. I was her roommate, Mary Margaret." She held out her hand, introducing herself to Lily, who took it and offered her name. "This is David, my partner."

He smiled and shook Lily's hand, "Nice to meet you."

"So, how did you two met?" Mary Margaret started, but Emma rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god," she murmured. "Weren't you leaving?"

"Oh, don't worry. They can stay for dinner if you want," Lily politely offered. "I mean, it's your place."

Before Emma could talk, Mary Margaret chimed in, "That would be wonderful! I was just telling Emma how hungry we were because I just picked David up from work to come see Em's apartment."

The three of them turned to watch Emma make a decision and she took a breath. Her friend was silently wishing they could stay, she could see that, while David had an apologetic look on his face Emma already knew. Lily, on the other hand, had a funny face, but she seemed okay with the situation, so she sighed. "Okay."

Mary Margaret cheered and immediately offered to finish cooking, dragging David with her. Once alone, Lily glanced over at Emma, reading her face. "It's okay. We still have after dinner, right?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively and Emma finally smiled, feeling more relieved.

"I sure hope so."

"Good," Lily nodded. Then, she leaned in to whisper in Emma's ear, "You look amazing, by the way."

Emma watched Lily walk away, joining her friends, and shook her head. It was a crazy night ahead of her.

* * *

"It was a great dinner, Emma," Mary Margaret praised. They were at the door and, after Emma insisted –really insisted– that they didn't have to do the dishes, David and Mary Margaret were finally about to leave. It had been a nice dinner with Lily and the couple; the young girl had completely charmed them.

"And the apartment is amazing. You nailed it," David winked at her, making Emma laugh softly.

"And nice to meet you, Lily," Mary Margaret added, smiling at the other girl, who smiled back at her.

"You too," she nodded. Then turned towards David, "And next time we meet I hope you can tell me more about the dog shelter. I think my mother could make a donation. And before you say it's okay, I know. I'll just give the information and she will do whatever she considers."

"That would be really good for the shelter, thanks," he conceded.

The four of them said goodbye and, after what felt like an eternity for Emma, the door finally closed behind the couple. "Phew," she sighed.

Lily laughed and turned to clean the table. "It wasn't that bad. They are really nice."

"A little  _too_  nice," Emma added. "But you handled it like a champion."

Emma joined Lily, picking up the rest of the glasses, and they made their way to the sink. Without saying anything, Emma started to wash while Lily used a cloth to dry the dishes.

"You're so exaggerated. I didn't handle anything," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well, then you just charmed them. I won't be surprised if I get a text from Mary Margaret asking me about another double date," she said handing out one of the glasses.

"Well, then if it means another date with you, then I'm in," Lily casually said, glancing at Emma out of the corner of her eye.

Emma raised an eyebrow, "I'm starting to think you just want to hang out with them instead of me."

"Well, you got me," Lily joked as she shrugged her shoulders. Then, she added suggestively, "But if you work hard enough, then perhaps I change my mind."

Emma handed her the last plate and turned towards Lily, drying her hands with another cloth. "Oh, really? What makes you think I don't work hard?"

Lily took a step forward, their faces coming dangerously close, and breathed into her face, "Maybe you will have to show me." They leaned in in unison, but before their lips could touch, there was another knock on the door.

Emma frowned, wondering who could be, "What now?"

Lily waved a hand as she separated. "It must be Mary Margaret; they must've forgotten something. I'll get it."

She walked over to the door and Emma followed her close, almost stepping on her shoes. Lily grabbed the doorknob and pulled, effectively opening the door, but it wasn't Mary Margaret or David on the other side. Regina blinked at the sight of Lily, and again when she noticed Emma behind her.

"Regina!" Emma said, jumping in front of Lily and in between the two women. "I thought you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow."

"I finished earlier," Regina explained, her eyes still on Lily.

Emma smiled nervously, "And, uh, did you forget the keys?"

"No," she deadpanned. "I saw the lights were on and figured you were still awake. It was a surprise."

"Well, you surprised me," Emma laughed, but no one joined her. Then she stepped aside to let Regina in. "This is Lily. She's a…friend."

After checking her out from head to toe, Regina finally drew a smile and held out her hand, "Regina. Nice to meet you."

"You too," Lily said with a certain tone of uncertainty, not quite knowing what was happening.

"She's my roommate," Emma clarified, noticing Lily's confusion. "So, are you hungry? There are some leftovers in the fridge," she asked looking at Regina, who gently shook her head.

"No, thank you," she politely declined. "I'm actually a bit tired from the trip, so I'll just head to sleep. I will let you enjoy the rest of the night."

"Oh, okay," Emma murmured. She was about to talk, but Regina was already leaving the living room and soon disappeared behind her door. Emma turned to Lily, "Why don't we go to my bedroom so we don't disturb her?"

Lily nodded and followed Emma into her room and then closed the door behind her. "So, was I the only one who felt a weird vibe there?" she asked, pointing outside.

"With Regina? Oh, she's just a little weird sometimes. It's in her nature it seems," Emma explained, waving her hand. She sat on the bed and looked up at the other woman.

Lily walked closer, but didn't take a seat next to Emma and raised an eyebrow instead, "It seemed like you had something going on."

"Did it?" Emma asked, but realized it had sound a little too excited and hurried to clarify, "I mean we did, but it was nothing serious. It almost counts as nothing."

"Really?" Lily insisted. "I wouldn't like to get into anything."

Emma took Lily's hand and tugged down, bringing her faces together, "Really. Now why don't we stop talking about Regina and pick up the conversation we were having?"

Lily smirked, feeling more relaxed now, and placed her hands on Emma's thighs both for support and for effect. "I think you were telling me about how hard you work."

"It's better if I show you," Emma murmured into her mouth before capturing her lips, trying to erase the fact that Regina was a few steps away from her mind.

* * *

The alarm rang right next to Emma's ear and she jumped awake. She quickly hit the snooze button and stretched her body, enjoying the dim light of the early morning sneaking through the windows. She glanced to the other side of the bed and saw Lily was still asleep. Her long brown hair was an almost a well-placed mess on the pillow and her tan skin of her back had a soft glow. The bare skin brought Emma memories from the previous night and she smirked.

However, it didn't last too long because she had to go to work and Lily would have to leave too. She gently shook the woman's shoulder and whispered her name, trying to bring her back from her slumber and, after a few whispers, Lily finally opened her eyes.

"Sorry I woke you up, but I'm gonna get ready to go to work," Emma informed her. Lily nodded and stretched, getting the point without it being said. "Do you want to take a shower?"

This time Lily shook her head while she sat up, the sheets sliding down her chest. "It's okay. I'll shower at home."

"Okay, good. I'll take a quick one and I'll be ready in 15," Emma said as she got up from the bed. Lily put her thumbs up and Emma took it as an okay, so she hurried to take a quick shower as she had promised.

Twenty minutes later, they were both ready to leave. Emma asked Lily to have breakfast somewhere on their way, which looked a little romantic, but the truth was she just didn't want them to be there when Regina woke up. There was a café open down the street, and they had coffee and some toasts while they discussed different topics. They didn't talk about their night, but Emma didn't feel like they had to anyways, so they just enjoyed each other's company until they finished breakfast.

Outside, Emma was headed towards one way while Lily had the car parked the other way. Lily offered to give her a ride, but Emma thought it was weird enough she had slept with her boss' daughter as if to show up at the building with her. So, after exchanging they phones so they didn't have to talk on the dating app anymore, they parted ways with a wave of hand.

Emma entered the subway thinking about how well it all had gone. Even with the surprising show-ups, it had ended well and, by the way Lily had gave her one last smirk before parting ways, Emma knew it wouldn't be the last of them. There was a thought that ran through her head that told her all of it had been just ordinary, not spectacular, but she quieted it and decided to enjoy at least one thing going well in her life.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma held the bag of chips between her teeth to get the key in the door and pull with the other hand. She pushed a little too hard and she stomped into the apartment, almost falling head first to the floor with the bag still in her teeth. It wouldn't have been that embarrassing if, when Emma raised her head, she hadn't seen Regina standing right in front of her.

"Hey," she said through the bag. Then, she kicked the door for it to close behind her as she finally released the snack. "You saw that, right?"

"I did," Regina nodded. There was a ghost of a smile in her lips, but Emma could tell she was holding it back. "Are your ankles okay?"

Emma moved them and then nodded. "All good. Want some?" she offered her roommate from the bag of chips, but Regina just eyed the item and politely shook her head. It was then when Emma noticed Regina's hands were behind her back, like if she was holding something away from her view.

"I noticed you cleaned the kitchen while I was away, so thank you," Regina conceded. There was something about her posture that made Emma think she had done something wrong, but she had taken care of Lily like the rules said, so she didn't understand what it was.

"No problem. How was work? Where did you go?" Emma asked, subtly eyeing the back of Regina but not catching what she had there.

"West," Regina just said, not giving anything else away, "and it was good. Efficient and well done as always."

"Nice…" Emma smiled. Suddenly they were standing in silence in the middle of the apartment and she felt the elephant in the room was falling on top of her, so she took a breath to address it. "About Lily –"

"Actually, I was going to the study. I have a few things to do," Regina cut off, already walking there.

"Oh, okay," Emma just said, thrown a little off balance. "I'll see you later then."

"Yes," Regina said and then entered the study, her back still towards Emma and closed the door. Emma blinked at it, trying to understand what had happened. She put an order on things she had noticed.

Regina didn't want to talk about Lily (was she jealous or just upset because someone else had been at her house?)

Regina was hiding something behind her back? Something that maybe had to do with whatever she was doing in the study?

Emma realized she had been staring at the door for longer than acceptable, so she turned in her heels and headed towards her bedroom, thinking about her list and trying to figure out what it all meant. However, her thoughts were interrupted by an incoming text in her phone.

Lily was asking about her day at work in a casual way, like if she wasn't really asking, and Emma sat on the bed to answer. She –hardly– alternated the texting with the videogame she was playing, and before she could realize it, her stomach grumbled with hunger and a glance at the hour confirmed it was late.

She had gone grocery shopping a few days ago, so she was happy thinking about a nice omelet and toast as she left her room to make herself dinner. Emma was on her way when she noticed the study's door was still closed. She walked closer and leaned in, in a stupid habit she always recoiled when she realized she wouldn't hear a thing. Emma bit her lip; perhaps she should let Regina alone for now. She seemed off before.

Emma hesitated, her hand already up and ready to knock, but then she dropped it. And raised it. And dropped it. "You're being stupid," she said to herself before finally gathering the courage to knock on the door. It took a beat before it swung open with Regina on the other side.

Her chest was raising a falling with heavy breaths, like if she had been doing some kind of exercise, but she wasn't sweating and her hair was immaculate perfect. Regina raised an eyebrow and asked, a little out of breath, "Yes?"

"I'm gonna make dinner. Thought maybe you wanted some?" Emma offered from the other side of the door. Regina had opened enough for her body but she couldn't see beyond her. "Omelette and toast."

"French," Regina said. "Sounds good."

"Cool," Emma nodded, her arms hanging to both sides of her body. "I'll make some extra food then."

"Thank you. I'll be out in a minute," Regina politely smiled before closing the door and not giving Emma a chance to speak. She was getting used to it, so Emma just turned to do what she had said: cooking dinner.

It was an easy task, and even easier with the apartment's modern appliances. By the time Regina finally emerged from the study, Emma was already done and plating the meal. "It smells delicious," she said, getting closer and taking a seat on one of the stools, in front of Emma.

"Thanks," Emma smiled proudly. "And it's meat free."

Regina laughed softly and Emma ignored the feeling in her stomach, "See? Not that hard. You should try it."

"Well, I already said I'd think about it," Emma waved a hand. She took a stool and sat in front of Regina, sliding one of the plates towards her roommate. Regina took a bite and Emma watched how a small smile replaced the slight frown that clouded Regina's face. "So, west?"

"Huh?" Regina asked, but before Emma could answer, she nodded. "Oh. Work, yes. It was nice, but too warm."

"Didn't you have time to enjoy the beach or pools?" Emma pointed at her with the fork before taking another bite.

Regina shook her head. "It was a quick job," she said distractedly, but then she raised her head and clarified. "As in an easy task of…work, you know."

"Yeah," Emma answered as she knew anything Regina ever told her and missed Regina's relieved sigh as she glanced down at her plate. "Well, maybe some other time you can stay there for pleasure instead of work."

"So you can have the love nest free?" Regina wondered. Emma raised her head and saw her smirk, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, like if she didn't find it as funny as she appeared it to be.

"N-no, it's not like that," she assured, shaking her hands in front of her.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "And how is it?"

Emma stared at her, her eyes wide from the situation. She had tried to keep the subject away but they had just started talking and it was already out. "We only had dinner."

"Did you?" Regina pressed.

Emma felt the blush in her cheeks and imagined she probably looked like she had grown tomatoes on her face. "Well, we…It's nothing serious."

"Okay." Regina's eyes came back to the plate and Emma repeated.

"Really. It's nothing serious."

Regina's gaze lifted and repeated as well, "Okay." Then she came back to the omelette and they ate in silence. It was driving Emma crazy but she didn't know what to say anyways, and she was thankful it didn't take them long to finish. When Emma ate the last piece, she stood up to clean, but Regina stopped her from her seat. "I'll wash the dishes. You cooked so it's the least."

Emma was ready to protest, but then again she was glad she could leave the room, so she nodded and walked away, coming back to her room. She picked up her phone and saw she had a text from Lily, but she didn't really feel like talking, so she left it aside.

* * *

Since Emma had moved into the apartment, she hadn't really felt uncomfortable. Yes, it took her a while to finally feel at home, but it wasn't  _uncomfortable._  However, over the last few days Emma felt a silent tension between them. They talked to each other in a normal way, and even watched the Bachelor and it was fine, but Emma still felt a shadow of something she couldn't place threatening her from behind and not letting her quite enjoy it.

It was because of that Emma was so surprised when one day Regina opened a letter during breakfast and suddenly said. "Do you want to go to a spa?"

"What?" she was just able to articulate.

"I got two invitations for a spa," Regina explained, raising two tickets for Emma to see. "I'm only one."

Emma blinked, a spoon dripping the milk from the cereals half way to her open mouth. She would have never guessed Regina would ask her such thing when she woke up that morning. When she realized the other woman was looking at her, waiting for an answer, she finally lowered the spoon. "Sure," she said with a shrug.

"Good," Regina murmured like if she was talking about a business transaction. "Is tomorrow good for you? I know you don't work on weekends."

It felt like she couldn't say no under Regina's intense gaze, so Emma nodded and waved the hand with the spoon. "Yeah. I'm free."

"Then we will go tomorrow morning," Regina settled, dropping the envelope into her purse. "I won't be here for the day, but is tomorrow at 9 okay?" When Emma nodded, Regina did as well as she looked for her keys. Once she found them, she raised them and threw her roommate one last look. "See you then."

"Later," Emma could just say before she was found alone. She finished the bowl of cereal, her body still heavy and not quite awake. It was when she was washing the bowl when she realized she didn't know where her bikini was. "Shit," she murmured as she rushed to her bedroom.

With all the moving in and out, she didn't remember where she had seen it for the last time. Emma hadn't had vacations in, at least, a good few years, so it was an old bikini anyways. She grabbed her bag and her phone and texted Mulan while she left the apartment. Maybe it was time to go shopping.

* * *

"But wait, let me get this straight. Regina and you at a spa?"

Mulan was frowning while she eyed a bikini and then shook her head as she left it where she had picked it up. Emma followed her close, holding a few hangers with bikinis in them. When it came to clothes, Emma knew Mulan was her go to friend, because she got her style. If she had gone with Mary Margaret, Emma would already be wearing a flower outfit.

"Yes," Emma confirmed with a nod. "I don't understand either. We haven't had a conversation for more than 10 minutes in a while and suddenly she wants me to go with her to a spa! What do you do in a spa?"

Mulan threw another hanger towards Emma's hands and she had to lean to catch it. "You go there to relax, so relax."

"I can't," Emma shook her head. "It looks like it's a silent place and you know I get nervous when there's an uncomfortable silence."

"It doesn't have to be uncomfortable," Mulan pointed out. She left a sarong on top of the bikinis and Emma raised an eyebrow. "Trust me. Now let's go get these tried on."

Emma followed her friend into the fitting room and, while Mulan took a seat in one of the comfortable looking sofas and pulled out her phone, she slid the curtain.

"How are things with Lily, by the way?" Mulan asked out loud to be heard through the ruffling of hangers inside the cubicle.

"I haven't heard from her in a while," Emma commented as she tried to get the clasp right. She was surprised by the uncaring way those words had come out, but her main focus was on the bikini. She slid the curtain and opened her arms.

Mulan shook her head, her mouth drawing an inverted U. "Wrong choice. Not your color," she shook her hand. "You sound cool about it, considering the drama with Regina," she continued once her friend was back into the fitting room.

"There's no drama." There was a silence and Emma rolled her eyes, "Maybe a little, about the spa thing, but Regina made things clear and, as I said, I don't want to make things even more complicated with my roommate."

"That seems like an elaborate excuse," Mulan deadpanned. Emma opened the curtain again, this time with a swimsuit that opened in the middle with a weird circle.

"It's not an excuse."

"I'm just saying it  _sounds_  like one. It's okay if you have feelings for Regina; you just have to accept it. And it's a no from me. It has a weird shape," she added, pointing at the girl standing in front of her.

"Shut up," Emma snapped. "Can we move on from Regina? Because we're clearly not on the same page," she said once she was back inside.

"Okay," she heard a sigh from outside. "Speaking of the devil. Didn't you say Mal was Lily's mother and your boss?"

"Yeah," Emma confirmed from inside, fighting the garment. "Why?"

"I just read she bought a whole company for an amount of money I can't even pronounce." It sounded like Mulan was reading the information and, when Emma came out, she confirmed it when she saw her friend's eyes on her phone as she scrolled down the news. "If you're not going to go out with Lily, you could give me her number." Emma threw a bikini top at her friend, hitting Mulan's face and making her laugh. "I was just kidding."

"Let's focus, okay? How about this one?" Emma asked, pointing at herself. Mulan's eyebrows shot up and she smiled, nodding slowly.

"Try it with the sarong," she excitedly said, leaving her phone aside. Emma did as she was told and Mulan smirked. "Regina is going to drool when she sees you."

"That's not the goal!" Emma retorted. Then turned and watched herself in the mirror and added, murmuring to herself, "But I wouldn't mind."

* * *

The car rode through the traffic in silence, moving smoothly. Emma, swallowed by the leather, watched the other cars passing by but her mind was going through every possible scenario that might happen. Regina, on the other side of the seat and facing the other window, seemed oblivious to it glancing outside, serene.

As they had agreed on, at 9 sharp in the morning they were ready to leave the apartment. A car had come to pick them up, but Emma still didn't know if it was part of the invitation or if Regina had called it. She guessed it would be revealed to her once they reached heir destiny. The driver was in a uniform, not too formal but enough for Emma to know she couldn't afford the service easily.

They arrived earlier than Emma expected and then scolded herself for not googling the place first, to at least know where she was going. The driver opened the door on Regina's side, so she waited for her roommate to exit the car and the hurried outside before he shut the door, smiling weakly at him. Regina hadn't waited for her, so Emma caught up with long steps and followed her from behind.

Regina was wearing a long, light dress, something so carefree looking Emma was surprised when she had seen her roommate emerge from her bedroom. It was dark blue and it gave her a goddess feeling that left Emma almost speechless. She still was.

Emma eyed around and saw a boring looking building and frowned, wondering if they had a stop scheduled. She shot a glance to the car over her shoulder and caught it driving away, so she guessed it wasn't a stop. When she entered, though, she raised her eyebrows.

While on the outside the building looked like another office place, on the inside Emma felt like going inside a relaxing retreat. It was all decorated with warm colors and the light was dim. There was a scent in the air that made Emma's muscles relax unconsciously. On the desk, a young man received them with a smile. Once Regina gave him the invitations, he handed them bathrobes and towels for both of them, along with a key.

Another smiling girl guided them upstairs in the elevator and to the private locker room, where she explained them they had to change and the routines before leaving the room. Bathrobe and towel in hand, Emma blinked watching the big mirror that covered one wall.

"I though there was like a locker room for everyone," she commented when she finally snapped out of it.

Regina left the bag she carried on the bench and passed a hand through her hair. "There is, but we have VIP passes that include a private changing room."

"Who did you say that invited us?" Emma asked, leaving her own backpack inside the locker. Regina reached behind her back to unbutton the single button there was on her dress and it slid down her shoulders. Emma's eyes followed the motion before she swallowed and glanced away, focusing on her own clothes.

"I didn't say," Regina murmured, but didn't elaborate, so Emma shrugged. She struggled with the zipper of her jeans and tugged at it.

She hadn't turned around to see Regina, suddenly more focused on feeling self-conscious about her body. Mulan had swore to her she looked amazing in that bikini and she had felt good when they were at the store, but now with the reality of facing Regina was a little intimidating. Emma left everything on top of her backpack, poorly folded, and cleared her throat before turning.

Regina was almost ready, closing her own locker and adjusting the key in her wrist. She was holding the bathrobe with her free hand, so Emma gulped when she saw Regina in a bikini. She quickly glanced away, feeling like she wasn't respecting Regina, but the other woman didn't seem to care at all. When Emma's eyes fell upon her again, she was already wearing the bathrobe.

"Are you ready?" Regina asked before shamelessly running her eyes throughout Emma's body, who softly nodded and grabbed her bathrobe.

They went up in the elevator in comfortable silence, while Emma watched the views by the window glass of the elevator. She felt like if she was ascending to heaven at a fast pace. When she elevator doors opened, they entered a circle space, with numbered doors that led them through the routine.

The first couple of rooms felt like silence room for Emma. She could hear herself breath above the soft music and was almost afraid to say anything and disturb the relaxing atmosphere. Regina, however, seemed to be taking her sweet time, but Emma felt she was a little tense. They were on the third room where they just sat on hammocks when she finally felt Regina relax a bit, and it was when a man in his late 50's entered the room, followed by two muscled men.

Emma watched him, wondering why Regina had immediately loosen her shoulders and watched him subtly. She knew everyone had their taste, but she didn't really think that man was  _that_ handsome as to be staring at him. She started to get bored after a while, so she was thankful when they moved to another room, coincidentally following that man.

Regina walked towards the door number 7 and Emma frowned. "Shouldn't we go into number 4?" she asked, pointing behind her.

"Those aren't worth it. Trust me," she just said as she opened the door.

Emma didn't have time to complain, since an overwhelming heat wave hit her. She hadn't read the description of the room, but she didn't need a PhD to know it was a sauna. Regina slid the bathrobe off and hung it on one of the hangers, not waiting for Emma to go in. Inside, Emma found, it was so dark she couldn't see anyone. She wouldn't be sure there were people there if she hadn't seen the three man enter before them.

She narrowed her eyes to try to find Regina, and suddenly a hand grabbed hers and tugged, making her sit. Emma felt Regina's body next to her immediately, but if she had any doubt, the shiver she felt when Regina whispered in her ear confirmed it.

"You were letting all the heat out."

Emma chuckled softly, more out of tension than fun, and forced her body to relax. It was a harder task than she thought though, and she was starting to have trouble breathing in that heat. She tried to hold it together as much as she could, but soon she felt her chest heavy, so she leaned in to whisper Regina. "I'll wait for you outside."

She stood up without waiting for an answer, eager to leave the room, and when she finally did, she took a deep breath. The chill air filled her lungs and she sighed with relief. For a moment she thought she would run out of air inside.

She felt some heat from behind and turned to find Regina exiting the sauna with a frown. "Are you okay?" she asked to Emma's surprise. "You seemed troubled."

Emma laughed shamefully, feeling her cheeks turning red and not from the heat. "Yeah, yeah. I just…didn't really like that room."

Regina nodded and, now that the surprise was gone, Emma's glanced dropped and noticed Regina's gleaming body. She felt dirty herself, sweating in places she didn't know she could sweat, but Regina wore it like an additional gleam to her already beautiful body. A drop of sweat traveled down the valley of her breasts and Emma found herself following the motion with her eyes until Regina spoke and pulled her out of the haze.

"Take a shower. It will make you feel better," she commanded, and Emma just followed her, her mind in blank. And she was right, the moment the water ran over her body, Emma felt it relax. By the corned of her eyes though, she watched Regina softly sighing under the water stream.

While Emma was out quickly, Regina took her time. The three musketeers -as Emma had started to call them- emerged from the sauna and took their showers while Regina dried her body slowly, almost like if she was waiting for them to catch up. Emma wasn't complaining; Regina in a bikini was something she didn't have the chance to witness every day.

Bathrobe on again, they moved onto the next room. The cold room, Emma read outside. She frowned, not quite liking it, but still followed her inside after taking off her bathrobe like the poster said. There was a corridor and the walls were covered in what it looked like ice. "Are we…supposed to rub the walls?" she asked behind Regina.

They reached a small space, with little holes in the walls, and Regina pointed at one of them. "You have to take the ice and rub it on your body," she explained.

Emma's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not doing that. It's fucking it."

"It's what you're supposed to do in this room. It's good for your body" Regina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, but Emma was still reluctant.

"It's not a  _rule_  and my body is perfectly fine with a normal temperature. But if you want to do it, be my guest," she said waving her hands at the ice.

Regina's gaze lingered in Emma, whose hair stood on end both from the cold and the intense stare, and then shrugged, turning. "Mmm…," she murmured, frowning at the ice.

"What?" Emma asked, leaning closer out of curiosity.

"It's just…" Regina leaned down as if to look closer into the ice and Emma took a step forward. Then another when Regina didn't answer "Look."

Emma curiously leaned in to look and Regina took the chance to drop some of the ice on her back. Emma half gasped, half howled when she felt the ice running down her back as she stretched as much as she could, as if that action freed her from the cold.

"You didn't!" she exclaimed, brushing the ice down with her hands.

Regina watched her with a satisfied smirk, her arms crossed over her chest. "It's good for your body."

Emma watched her roommate with incredulous eyes, but she was quick to react and in the blink of an eye, she grabbed a handful of ice and threw it at Regina, who gasped as well when the small rocks hit her front. "Now we're even," Emma resentfully said.

She watched Regina's shock for a moment and started to regret what she had done, but then the other woman's lips drew a smile that soon became laughter as she threw Emma another handful of ice. Emma laughed along, dodging the ice while she tried to get the ice in Regina's back. They wrestled, laughing breathlessly and fighting with the ice, until Emma caught Regina against one of the ice holes and their faces got dangerously close. The laughter died and there was only their breaths against each other, their bodies, already cold, pressed together.

Some voices echoed in the room and they abruptly separated, Emma clearing her throat while Regina picked a small rock of ice from her hair. "Do you have enough ice?" she asked, and Emma caught a glimpse of a smile in the corner of her lips.

The next room, on the other side of the hall, had a sun on the sign and Emma stopped at the door. "Another sauna?" she asked. "I think I'll pass."

"This is a softer one," Regina assured. "And it will do you good after the ice."

Emma bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying her body was warm enough, and instead sighed and followed Regina inside. The heat immediately welcomed her, but she noticed it was indeed a weaker heat wave. She took a seat but, next to her, Regina laid down and closed her eyes, so she took that chance to relax a little.

Across the room, Emma noticed the three men they seemed to follow. She wondered if they thought so, but it didn't seem so from their posture. The foggy air allowed her to watch them closely without being noticed, and she quickly caught the two big guys were the other one's guards. The man in the middle gave away some higher air to himself, like if he was better than everyone in the room. Emma suppressed a snort. He was nothing like a George Clooney; more of like that old man you find on a corner whistling at young girls.

He didn't look like Regina's type at all and Emma shook her head at herself for thinking she might have a crush on him. Her eyes fell upon her roommate's body and took a moment before glancing away. It's not like she knew Regina that deeply, even though she knew some things about her, never about who Regina  _really_  was. Her worries, fears, dreams, ambitions. And to be fair, Regina didn't know hers, but Emma was a lot more transparent in that matter. However, Emma could tell that guy wasn't Regina's type. They had had sex so that had to mean anything.

The musketeers murmured something and stood up. On their way out though, the middle man glanced at Emma. He drew a deplorable smile as he scratched his beard and Emma felt the taste of bile in her throat she had to swallow back. When the door closed, Regina stood up as well and turned to Emma, raising an eyebrow.

It hadn't been that bad -in comparison to the first sauna- but Emma was thankful when they stepped outside. "Aren't you hungry? Perhaps I could have my drive getting something on our way home," Regina said as she put on the bathrobe.

Emma frowned. "Wait. We're already leaving?"

Regina turned and blinked. "Well, I think it has been enough for me."

"But what about the jacuzzi and pool, or the massages? We're VIP." Emma felt like a little child asking for the latest toy, but it's not like she got to be at a spa like this every day.

"You can stay if you want. I will see you at the apartment," Regina shrugged. Emma blinked as the other woman walked away. That was it? She really had gone there, VIP passes just to go to a couple of saunas? She took big steps to catch up.

"But we- you could stay." Emma realized how needy that sounded and made a face. "I mean, the pass is for a couple hours more, isn't it?"

Regina pressed the elevator button. "Yes, but I've got everything I needed."

"You don't look relaxed," Emma bluntly said. The elevator rang as Regina watched her. "I mean, it was just some saunas."

Regina entered the elevator and smiled softly. "Really, you can stay. I'll see you at home."

"Wait!" Emma exclaimed before the doors closed, stopping them with her hand. She joined Regina inside. "I need to get my phone anyways, so I'll go with you."

With a nod, Regina pressed the button for the locker room's floor and the doors closed. Emma couldn't ease the frown from her forehead, but that didn't stop Regina from joking. "A phone isn't really a relaxing factor."

"I know. I just told a friend I would text her and I forgot," Emma made up as she went. In reality, she didn't really know what she was doing there, but her first impulse had been to stay with Regina as much as she could.

Regina's features hardened as she turned ahead. "You don't waste your time."

Emma's frown deepened as she stared at her roommate. "What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing that friend is the same one from dinner," she casually commented.

There was a moment of silence, but Emma was sure the click in her head could be heard from miles away. Regina sounded jealous. It took her most of her will to keep the smile from forming in her lips at the new discovery.

"Does it matter?" she wondered, tempting her luck.

Regina's eyes finally fell on Emma's. "Does it matter to you?"

"To me?" Emma asked and Regina shrugged.

"It's you who's sleeping with her, isn't it?"

Emma new her eyes wide were betraying her, showing herself transparent to an stoic Regina, but suddenly the conversation had turned too real and her made up excuse had turned out to be something else entirely.

"Do you mind?" she risked.

Regina's gaze was intense and she didn't flinch when she answered. "I'm not your mother to ask me if I mind."

"I'm not asking you as a mother," Emma retorted, too deep into the adrenaline to stop the conversation. She could feel her pulse in her neck.

"Perhaps next time we discuss matters I should try to use simpler words, because I thought it was all clear." The elevator doors opened as if for effect and Regina walked out. "I'll see you later."

Emma didn't bother to stop the elevator from closing. She remained still, in the same spot, in the same floor, going through a conversation she thought it was so surreal she wouldn't believe it if she hadn't lived it. But however things had gone, one thing was clear to Emma. Regina hadn't answered her question.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still here, I swear.

Feeling spoilt for a while wasn't something Emma did a lot -more like never- but she found out it was a nice thing, at least once in a while. Her shoulders were relaxed against the seat as she watched the buildings getting more and more higher as she entered the city again. She had had lunch after a nice jacuzzi session to end with a massage that had left her back like if she had gotten a new one. Emma could definitely get used to that.

When she opened the door she was met with the stillness of the apartment. It wasn't new for her and she searched for Regina with her eyes. The sharp figure of her roommate drew a silhouette in the curtains, so Emma moved to the sofa to leave her backpack but noticed the shift in Regina's position when she heard her. She pulled out a bag of snacks she found in one of the cupboards, taking her time, and then she finally joined Regina at the terrace.

As she slid the curtains and took a seat in front of Regina, she closed the files she had been reading. "Hey," Emma said now that she had her attention.

Regina finally glanced up at her. "How was the spa?"

Emma offered her from the snacks and Regina considered it for a moment before she reached for it and took a handful. "It was nice. You should have stayed. The massage was amazing."

She saw the start of a smile forming in Regina's lips, but it never came out. "I'm glad at least one of us enjoyed it. There's some leftovers from lunch, by the way," she informed as she waved inside. Then, she looked down at the snacks, "Although I think you're already served."

"I'll have something for dinner, anyways. Thanks." They sat in silence, only broken by the crisp sound of Emma eating, and she watched how the sun reflected in the glass mirror of the building in front of them. Maybe it was the intimacy of the moment, maybe she just didn't need an excuse for it, but suddenly and keeping her eyes on the windows, she asked, "Did you like him?"

"Who?" Regina calmly asked. Emma still didn't look, but could feel the other woman's eyes on her.

"That man from the spa. The small one with the guards."

If she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have heard the surprising soft snort from Regina. "That's offensive."

Emma's eyes finally fell on Regina. "It felt like we were following them."

"It's clear you've never been to a spa before," she stated, not with a superior attitude, but more like a fact. Still, Emma frowned.

"Hey,  _that_ isoffensive."

Regina tilted her head, "How? Isn't it true?"

Emma sulked in silence for a moment before she shrugged, "Yeah. Anyways, it was like we were there for them."

"Maybe you should be a detective," Regina joked, now with a teasing smirk. "Or even better, a Sheriff."

Emma raised her eyebrows, "Sheriff? Why?"

Regina shrugged. "The uniform would look really good on you."

The warmth on her cheeks felt familiar to Emma, but she didn't chicken out, now aware that Regina hid more that she thought about her feelings. "It feels like you've thought about it."

"It just occurred to me, but maybe I will from now on," she threw back, narrowing her eyes.

Emma felt like they were throwing each other the ball to see who dropped it first, and it half infuriated her, half intrigued her. It was always like that with Regina, but this time she had a secret weapon, and she wasn't ready to lose that easily.

"Do you mind that I see other people?"

It was the first time Emma saw genuine surprise in Regina's eyes. She clearly hadn't been expecting that and it had taken her aback. Her jaw clenched almost unnoticeably before she answered.

"You seem to mind a lot about that."

"And you seem keen to avoid the answer."

"I don't."

Emma watched Regina's features. Maybe she hadn't caught all of her, but she had caught the way her lips twitch when she lied. And she definitely caught it then. It was her moment, now that Regina had her guard down.

"Have you seen anyone else?"

This time Regina looked at her right in the eyes, "No. Are we done with this interrogation?"

The force of her question threw Emma a little off balance, "It wasn't one, but yeah I guess I'm done." Lowering her gaze, she saw the files and decided to change the subject. "Were you working?"

"You weren't done after all," Regina smiled knowingly. "It is, but it's nothing important. Only some profiles."

"You take a lot of work home. It must be interesting enough to do that," Emma noted. She thought of her job and felt lack of motivation fall upon her. And it must have been all over her face for Regina to ask:

"Do you like what you do?"

Emma shrugged, "It's fine, I guess. It pays the bills."

Regina leaned back on the chair, her attention only on Emma while the sky dyed orange. "And what would you do if you could choose?"

"You sound like a counselor," Emma joked, but answered anyways. "Actually, you had a point when you said I should be a detective. It may sound dumb but since I was a child, I've always liked that kind of job."

"So you like fighting for justice?" Regina wondered with interest.

"If you want to see it that way," Emma laughed. "I guess I do, yes. Like you, right?"

Regina smiled, "Yes. You could say that." Her phone started to ring and Emma caught the name of the caller before she grabbed it and stood up. "I have to take this. Leftovers are on the microwave."

She was already walking to her room, her phone in her ear, when Emma called for her, making her turn around. "Thank you for inviting me." Regina smiled, but didn't say anything, probably paying attention to whatever that Gold was telling her on the phone.

Only when Regina closed the door, she finally answered her boss. "I think it will be easy, but I'm going to need access to the spa." She threw the files on her bed and noticed she had grabbed one of Emma's jackets from laundry without realizing.

"Okay, then you will know from me in two days." Hanging up without saying goodbye, Regina left her phone and picked up the jacket before walking over to the mirror and trying it on.

It looked big on her, specially on her hands, but she knew it looked like that on Emma as well because she was already used to see the sleeves hanging around the house. A smile crept up her face and she let it happen, comfortable in the intimacy of her room.

* * *

A knock on the door pulled Emma out of her dreams. She groaned loudly, trying to form some words and failing, but the knocking didn't stop, so she got up. She practically dragged herself to the door and when she opened the door, she met a clean and fresh Regina. She was in tight sweatpants, a sports top and a jacket, in contrast with a disheveled Emma who barely had her eyes opened.

"I was going to go for a run and some exercises. Do you want to come?" Regina asked as if Emma matched her energy.

"It's Sunday," Emma kind of whimpered.

"7 am to be exact. So?"

Emma finally opened her eyes, "7?! Are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm not. Are you coming or what?" Emma sighed, leaning her head on the door. "You're already up," Regina pointed out.

Rolling her eyes, Emma threw her hands up in the air. "You know what. Fine. Let me just get some clothes on."

Regina nodded with a smile and left to have a glass of water while her roommate got ready. Ten minutes later, Emma emerged from her room wearing sweatpants and a long shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she clearly had taken a moment to wash her face before coming out.

"Is that my jacket?" she asked pointing at Regina with narrow eyes.

Regina glanced down as if noticing for the first time. "Yes, it is. It was in my laundry. Do you mind?"

Emma shook her head, smiling slightly at the way it looked on Regina. "Let's go before I regret this."

* * *

They started the warmup at the beginning of the nearest park in complete silence. Probably because Emma still felt a little sleepy. They agreed on a light run until the training area, where Regina would share her routine with Emma, but when they started to run, they started to go faster and faster as they noticed the other was ahead of them. The competitiveness made them arrive panting at the -still- empty training area.

"You sure can run," Emma breathed out, leaning on a pole.

Regina drew a breathless smile, "You sound surprised."

"Well, you don't exactly look like the runner of the year with those suits and elegant clothes," Emma explained. "But I won't make any more assumptions about you from now on."

While Regina took off her jacket and tugged it around her waist, she walked over to one of the wall bars. "Are you ready for more or do you want to sit on a bench?"

Emma rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade. "Where do we start?"

Regina explained her the routine she followed and Emma did each and every one of them next to her, both pushing themselves. It was too early for Emma, but by the time they finished she felt way better than she thought she would ever feel. Tired, but fulfilled. And it wasn't 9 am.

"What about a race back?" Regina challenged, using her hands as a cap to be able to look at Emma without feeling dazzled by the sun.

Emma took off her shirt revealing a sports bra underneath that made Regina glance down unapologetically. Emma noticed it and took the chance to suddenly bolt towards the way they had come through. "I'll meet you there, loser!" she yelled over her shoulder.

When they arrived at the building, Emma was still gloating over her win, bugging Regina. She opened the door and let her roommate in, who greeted Sidney.

"Good morning, Ms. Mills," he bowed his head. Then, he slid an envelope over the desk, "This just came through for you."

Emma snooped over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows, "Mail on Sunday? They must really want to get to you."

Regina smiled at Sidney with gratitude before walking towards the elevator, the other woman following her steps. "What can I say. I'm a demanded woman," she winked at Emma, whose heart skipped a beat.

* * *

Emma had to admit it had been a nice weekend and she didn't really complain when she had to come back to the routine. It was still the same, but at least she had had a massage and had spent a great amount of time with Regina. She smiled at the memory of the previous day, when they were having lunch while they watched The Bachelor. Regina had gotten caught up in the reality show and they had started a debate on which of the girls was better that went on even after the show ended.

When Regina had insisted on watching another episode, Emma had accepted, but couldn't ignore the slumber after lunch and finally ended up falling asleep on the couch. She woke up an hour later, cuddled up next to Regina who had turned off the TV and was now reading. Emma didn't know when she had found Regina's shoulder and used it as a pillow, but the other woman didn't seem to mind.

"Sorry," Emma had mumbled, feeling the hot red blush in her cheeks.

Regina had smiled softly, in a way that Emma thought maybe she was still dreaming. "You drool when you sleep," she teased, her smile turning into a full smirk and breaking the moment.

The conversation with Regina in the terrace had made her think a lot, both in the professional and personal way. For the first, Emma was starting to consider the goals she had and maybe she could start eyeing prices in degrees in Criminology as she had always wanted. For the second part, she had to acknowledge the feelings that had started to rise. She had felt attracted to Regina ever since she laid her eyes on her, that much was obvious, but now she was afraid for the flutter in the bottom on her belly when Regina smiled at her or she was wearing Emma's jacket. That, in addition to the fact that Regina had lied about feeling jealous, was something she could not stop thinking about. And it was starting to feel too real, too fast for Emma.

She had always had a wall built up around her. Maybe she was transparent, but she still tried to not have her heart up her sleeve, cautious when feelings started to take the protagonist part in her life. Emma knew it was bad news. The little voice in her head was practically yelling at her to stop developing deeper feelings for Regina. They were roommates! If something went wrong Emma would have to go back to Mary Margaret's and she sure as hell wouldn't go through that. She wouldn't fail in the first attempt to really become independent.

Speaking of Mary Margaret, she thought she could pay a visit to her friend. IT had been a long time since they caught up and she was kind of missing their moments they shared while living together. She texted her as she left the locker room, having her shift finished for the day. She had had a late-ish shift, and it was almost 6, so she just asked Mary Margaret to meet up at her place, who quickly answered positive and informed her she was making apple pie.

Emma waited for the elevator, her mind already on the apple pie she was dying to get a taste of, and when the doors opened she wasn't ready for what she saw.

"…get in your head I'm not getting myself involved in this anymore!" Lily yelled at her mother, whose eyes were shining like two furious flames. They both glared at Emma, surprised by the interruption, and separated while they tried to play it cool. "Hey Emma. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has," Emma smiled trying not to show the awkwardness she felt. "How have you been?" She pressed the button for the hall and noticed the other button oushed was one of the basement, where one could only access with a special key.

"Good, good. A little busy though, you know, work," the girl shrugged, eyeing her mother behind Emma.

"I know," Emma answered as if she knew what was Lily's job. She realized she never had said, but then again, it's not like they had known each other that much.

"Have you met my mother?" Lily asked to fill in the silence that was starting to spread. Emma turned and the older woman glanced down at her. She was taller than her, and the high heels added a good few inches that made her look even more threatening.

"Actually, I haven't had the pleasure," Emma smiled, aware she was in front of The Boss, and offered up a hand. However, Mal only stared at it and raised an eyebrow.

"And who are you?" she bluntly asked.

Emma closed her hand and dropped it. "I'm Emma. I work for the cleaning service."

"Mmm," Mal murmured, still seizing Emma up. "And how do you know each other?"

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but Lily was already answering before she could even take a breath. "From here, actually. We bumped into each other a couple weeks ago."

Mal nodded and her eyes went from analyzing Emma to her daughter, clearly sensing there was more of the story to tell. Fortunately, she didn't push and just glanced down at her phone, which she found way more interesting. Emma turned to Lily, who rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Hey, are you free tomorrow?" Lily asked way lower, looking at Emma. "We should catch up."

"Yeah," Emma nodded. She knew it was the worst timing, having all her feelings messed up with Regina, but she wanted the conversation to be over and leave that small place. "I'm working the middle shift now, but I'll finish around this time tomorrow."

"Cool," Lily smiled, and Emma's face dropped a little, feeling like the other girl wanted to hang out way more than her.

The elevator opened and Emma let out a relieved breath she didn't know she had been holding. "See ya!" she waved her hand and left the elevator as fast as she could. She didn't look back, but as soon as she was out, she heard Mal's voice.

"Really, Lily?"

* * *

Mary Margaret almost asphyxiated her with a hug the moment she saw her. Emma laughed and returned the hug, closing her eyes at the smell of coffee just made and apple pie. She hadn't realized how much she missed that. It was nice to escape Regina and Lily and her job, and just enjoy a cup of coffee with her best friend. Mary Margaret asked about her life, and Emma deliberately left out most of the drama, focusing on other things. They talked about the possibility of starting to study again and Mary Margaret was so happy about it she almost dropped her cup.

Emma felt a little sad when it was time to leave, and even felt a little homesick. Mary Margaret had always been there for her, willing to listen to her and give her advice, and her heart felt warm from the visit. It was hard to say goodbye but, after reminding her friend to send regards to David, she finally left to get home. A smile adorned her face; she had been in need of an evening like that.

Lily, and the date for the next day came to her mind and wondered if it would be anything like that. Little did she know, it would be completely the opposite.

* * *

"Isn't it a little early for shots?" Emma asked with a funny smile painting her lips. One hand was holding her third bottle of beer while the other was holding her head as she watched Lily ask the bartender for a couple of shots.

"C'mon, we're celebrating!" Lily grinned. They watched the transparent liquid fill the small glasses and Lily slid one of them towards Emma.

"What are we celebrating exactly?" she asked, but still raised the shot to toast.

"To finally getting back together." Lily toasted and swallowed the shot, making a face before leaving it upside down. Emma laughed and followed through, letting the alcohol guide her actions.

"We are getting what together?" Emma asked, dragging the final letters. Lily giggled and pointed at the bartender for another two shots.

"I have no fucking clue," Lily laughed. She had drunk one more been than Emma, but that was enough to get her giggly. At first it had been nice, both of them catching up and talking about their interests. It had been on the second bottle when Emma realized she hadn't really eaten anything since the poor sandwich she had carried to work, and the alcohol was affecting her more than she thought it would.

They toasted for nothing, and then again for the alcohol and once more for the bartender, until they couldn't help giggling over everything. Lily stopped ordering shots and Emma was deep down thankful, and so was the bartender. The stools they sat on swung from one side to the other as they moved, and suddenly Lily's hand fell on Emma's thigh.

Lily sighed and leaned in to whisper in Emma's ear, her breath warm against her skin. "Do you want to go to my place?"

Before Emma's brain could even process the question, she answered, "No."

Lily leaned back and tilted her head. "No?"

"I…No," Emma shook her head, feeling confused. All she could think of was Regina. The hand on her thigh was making her think of when Regina had touched her there and she frowned.

"Why?" Lily watched Emma's face and then raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I get it."

"What?" Emma shot.

Lily smirked, "So you finally got it on with your roommate, huh?"

Emma's eyes went guiltily wide, "What? No!"

Tilting her head again, Lily frowned. "But you like her."

It took a moment for Emma to be able to answer, but when she did, she felt a wave of relief to finally say it out loud, "Yeah."

Lily smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind Emma's ear tenderly, "Good luck with that one."

Emma rolled her eyes and pushed her, but the smile was almost swallowing her whole face. Suddenly she felt an urge to go home, to go to Regina. She wanted to tell her how she felt. She really wanted to get to know her, she wanted that. "I gotta go," she urgently said, jumping down the stool.

"Wait!" Lily yelled. She pulled out some bills to pay and raced after her friend as fast as she could in her state, that was almost as bad as Emma's. When she finally got her, she clutched her shoulder. "Wait. Let me call you a cab."

"I'll just take the subway," Emma breathlessly said as she tried to turn around, but Lily laughed and shook her head. After a few attempts she finally got to call a taxi and it was there after a few minutes.

Emma got into the car quickly and gave the driver the address while Lily helped her close the door. "You know where to find me if you need me, blondie."

Their eyes met and Emma nodded, smiling at Lily, before the taxi took off and headed into the traffic. She felt her chest heavy and found it difficult to keep her eyes open and her head still, but she was able to make it to her door. Emma fought with the keys but the lock kept moving just when she thought she could get the key in and grunted frustrated.

Inside, Regina raised her head from the envelope. She hid it inside a book and walked to the door with a frown, tilting her head to hear what was happening on the other side. She heard a familiar grunt and rolled her eyes, opening the door. Emma fell backwards into Regina, who caught her before they both ended up on the floor.

"I hate that lock," Emma huffed pointing at the door.

Regina's lips twitched in a small smile and she narrowed her eyes, "Are you inebriated?"

Emma looked at her right in the eye and deadpanned, "No, I'm a Libra."

Regina shook her head and her smile grew. She helped Emma in, holding her so she didn't fall, and led her right to her room. However, on the way, Emma stumbled and her eyes fell shut. "Emma, stay awake. Just a few more steps," Regina murmured as she carried almost all of the other woman's weight.

"I think I wanted to tell you something," Emma slurred, narrowing her eyes.

Regina decided to follow the conversation as she opened the door to make sure Emma didn't fall asleep. "Did you?" She helped Emma on to the bed and let her sit there. "I'm going to get a glass of water and then you tell me what it is that you wanted to tell me."

When she was back, a glass of water in her hand and an aspirin on the other, she found Emma sitting on the bed right where she had left her, her eyes fixed on the floor as she bit her lower lip. Regina left the glass on the nightstand and gently pushed Emma down to make her lay in bed. "Come on, get into bed," she softly ordered and Emma obeyed, taking off her shoes and diving beneath the sheets with her clothes still on. Regina turned off the lights and only left on the one in the nightstand before taking a seat on the bed, next to the other woman.

"Emma, wait. Drink some water first." She shook Emma's arm and she grumbled, but sat on the bed as she swallowed half of the glass. Regina accepted it and left the rest on the nightstand for her to drink on the morning. "Be thankful you don't work early tomorrow," she murmured.

She watched Emma, whose blonde locks were falling in her eyes, and raised a hand to push it aside, caressing her skin. She sat there for a couple more seconds, taking a chance to slow down and really consider a lot of things that were going through her head, but after shaking her head, Regina turned off the lamp and stood up to go.

A hand grabbed hers and she turned, glancing down to Emma's hanging arm. "Stay," she heard a softly voice, muffled against the pillow. "It's cold."

Without dropping her hand, Regina raised an eyebrow, "Emma, it's the middle of the summer." This time Emma remained silent, but she wouldn't let go of Regina's hand, still holding her tightly, so eventually Regina sighed, "Okay."

She made her way into the bed, on the other side, and felt Emma moving next to her, not quite close but enough to feel her warmth. Regina allowed herself to relax and close her eyes, thinking of waiting for Emma to fall asleep and then going back outside, but before she could even know, she was deep in her sleep.


End file.
